Jealousy
by RRatedauthor
Summary: Aj Styles won't let the past die. With Jeff now in the TNA title picture, he's determined to send him packing until someone decides to put him in his place.
1. Behind Enemy Lines

Jealousy...

_Courtesy the rratedauthor... I really had no intention of resurrecting Tom, but one of my most valued readers, and the one who also broke the tie to kill him in the first place, didn't believe that me and Megan would do it. So Nooks, this one is for you!_

TNA tapings were run a lot like those in WCW's latter stages. Things were constantly being rewritten, even in the last hour before the show began, so it was no surprise that some of the talent would come to the arena thinking they were doing one thing, and then find out something completely different. This was one such case.

"Where is he?" Russo's office door was kicked open. Vince looked up from his latest rewrite.

"Who the fuck are you and how did you get past security?"

"Never mind that. Where is that asswipe Jeff Hardy?" With one sweep of his arm, everything on top of Russo's desk landed in a pile on the floor. "You gonna talk?"

"Th-third locker room on the right."

"This ain't over. You better not be fucking with me!" Slamming the door closed behind him, he was gone. While a little shaken, Vince was soon back to doing what he didn't exactly do best, but it was the only thing he was being paid for at the moment.

Ink, Inc. Were discussing their upcoming tag match against Beer Money when they were shoved aside by the irate man. Shannon got a semi-good look at him.

"Hardy!..."

"What the fuck is he doing here?" He asked

"Whoever he is, he's got a hate on for Jeff." Jesse Neal replied

The vein over Shannon's left eye started to twitch, a sign that something wasn't exactly as it seemed.

"Follow me." He took off in the same direction.

...

His green hair dye still wet, Jeff was in the process of digging through his gear, trying to find that perfect layered look for his arm wraps.

"Dammit... who took my turquoise wraps?" He yelled

"Hardy, you gotta stop looking like such a fag." AJ shouted from across the changing room. "It's bad for business."

Jeff scrunched up his mouth, biting back a real mean reply. Ever since he'd been put into a story line with Ric Flair, Styles seemed to take that as proof he was better than everyone else in the company. Something he was willing to flaunt whenever it suited him.

"Lay off, Styles. Just because he refused to suck your dick doesn't mean you own the man." RVD came to Jeff's aid.

Styles snorted. "Fags. They're thick as thieves." He muttered, before leaving to search out his mentor.

The title and his main event status had gone to AJ Styles' head. That was one thing the entire locker room could see, even if upper management was clueless. Given who ran the company, that was almost to be expected.

Jeff wiped his face with his arm. He hated being called that. He'd been with TNA long enough that it shouldn't bother him, but yet he was almost in tears every time someone made such a comment . The former champion was the worst offender and there were days when Jeff wanted to swallow his pride and run back to the WWE where he'd at least have his two brothers watching his back.

"He's just jealous that you're twice as popular as he ever was." RVD sat down beside Jeff and rubbed his neck. "He's trying to get you to do something stupid so he can be top dog again."

Jeff nestled into Rob's shoulder. It was like AJ was going out of his way to push Jeff's buttons and it was only a matter of time before Jeff snapped. Last time it was messy, with Jeff abruptly walking out of TNA. This time... who knew?

"Just remember that if you need someone to lean on, I'm here, but I will need my shoulder back in about ten minutes. I'm on."

"I know." Jeff sighed

"If it's really that bad, why don't you go talk to management? Maybe they'll have a word with AJ." Rob suggested, shrugging with his one free shoulder.

"And get a rep for not being able to fight my own battles? That'd only make things worse." Jeff sighed again.

"Why don't you talk to Matt?"

"He's got his own problems." Jeff didn't want to go into details, but all the years of being one-half of Team Xtreme had finally taken it's toll on his older sibling. His kayfabe suspension was to give him time to heal, but Matt had confided that he was counting the months, not years, until he could leave the game.

"Then I dunno what I..."

"There's some psychopath looking for you." Jesse Neal ran into the locker room. "He just trashed Russo's office and he's heading this way."

Jeff cringed at the word 'psychopath'. He'd met one back when he was with the WWE, a guy by the name of James Lawson, and he didn't want a repeat of that any time soon. Major badness was all it ended up being.

"Psychopath? You've never even met me and already you're resorting to vague characterizations! That really fuckin' hurts, man."

Jeff recognized the voice and his mood changed immediately. "Tommy?" He jumped to his feet and embraced him.

"Hey, Jeffro." Tom returned the hug and kissed him softly on the cheek. Some of the less-mature members of the roster (ie. all of them) started up with wolf whistles.

"I knew it." Styles had returned, either having forgotten something or his mentor was busy stylin' and profilin'. "Fuckin' fags."

"Is he the one?" Tom asked. Jeff nodded.

Tom glared at Styles before marching over and grabbing the former champion by the shirt. "For a fuckin' Christian, you sure don't do that 'love thy fellow man' stuff real well, do ya?"

"But..." Tom was only two inches taller than AJ, but he definitely had a good thirty pounds on him, which did make him somewhat intimidating.

"Shut that hole in your God-fearing face. I am going to explain this only once. Whether or not my brother" and he emphasized the last word "is hetero, homo, bi, tri, or omni-sexual is none of your fucking concern."

"None of my concern? That heathen..."

Tom rolled his eyes. He'd heard all this before.

"Let me repeat myself since obviously you don't seem to listen real well. It... is... none... of... your... fucking... concern. Unless you want our short acquaintance to be pain-filled, I would hope you'll heed my words." Tom pushed AJ to the floor just as several security guards arrived on scene. Apparently Russo had thought Tom was a deranged lunatic.

"Hold it right there." They pointed batons, tasers, and mace at Tom.

"You sure know how to make an entrance, Tommy." Jeff giggled

"Let me guess... Vince Russo told you a crazed man burst into his office and made a mess, right?" Tom rolled his eyes and faced the officers.

"Well, yeah." The one closest to Tom stated

"Same old Russo." Tom rolled his eyes again. "We can solve this real easily. Let's go to Dixie's office and straighten all this out."

"After you." The guards motioned for Tom to leave.

"This won't take long Jeffers." Tom quickly hugged him again then allowed the police to walk him out.

"What was that about?" Chris Sabin demanded. His locker room reputation aside, he was actually glad that someone had finally stood up to Styles.

"I dunno." Jeff shrugged, stifling back a giggle. "But Tommers sure knows how to make an entrance."

Five minutes after being herded out of the locker room, Tom found himself face-to-face with Dixie.

"I don't know what the protocol was where you came from," obviously referring to the WWE, "but here we usually introduce ourselves to the boss rather than make the head of our creative team think we have a lunatic running around."

She tried to look intimidating but Tom, who had once faced down Vincent Kennedy McMahon himself, was not one to be intimidated.

"What's one more lunatic." Tom shrugged "But I was more concerned about what my brother was telling me than niceties."

"Exactly what did he tell you?" If Tom's hunch about Dixie having less than half a clue was ever to be proved, that statement did it.

"Well... how about homophobia, hazing... do you really want me to go into detail?" Tom was prepared to quote chapter and verse from the many phone calls, emails, and text messages he'd received from his younger brother since rejoining TNA.

"Uh..." Dixie looked directly at Tom and even someone of her limited acumen could see how deadly serious he was. "Could you leave us alone?" She barked at the cops still standing in the doorway. "I've got this under control."

"If you say so, ma'am."

"And close the door behind you." She yelled

Tom watched the cops go, then turned back to Dixie. Without asking permission, he sat down and glared at her.

"I'm gonna be honest with you, 'coz that's the only way I know how to deal with people. If I hadn't just been informed that Stamford had nothing for me, you and I wouldn't even be having this conversation. I still think me being here is like boarding the Titanic knowing it's gonna hit an iceberg."

"Then why are you here?"

"Simple. Jeff." Tom crossed his arms and legs, a smirk tugging the corners of his mouth. "He's always had either me or Matt to protect him."

"But are you still under contract to the WWE?" Dixie asked "If you are, then..."

"There is nothing in my contract that says I can't be here. The no-compete doesn't kick in unless they release me." The smirk turned into a smile. "But both you and I know that Vince is not that stupid. With 'Taker hurt, he doesn't have much."

"What about that NXT thing?"

Tom shrugged "What about it? It would've worked if Danielson hadn't supposedly crossed the line..."

"I heard that was all story line." In her own subtle way, Dixie was pumping Tom for information.

"Maybe, maybe not." Tom saw through her real easy. "Either way, it's better than the crap your creative team has come up with lately. I'm going to check on my brother, now. Should I expect any trouble from the cops?"

"Only if you trash another office." Dixie replied

Tom nodded, standing.

"Then our business is concluded." Tom answered "If you need some ideas about how to use me, you know where I'll be, but I'd rather not deal with Hogan or Bischoff."

"I think I can arrange that." Dixie smiled. She didn't like dealing with them either, but she was kinda stuck with them.

Tom was in the doorway when he turned. "There is one thing you can help me with... was there ever anything between Jeff and AJ?"

"Not since he came back, but they were a couple Jeff's first time around." Dixie answered "But you'd have to ask some of the guys who were around back then. They could probably tell you more."

"I just might have to." Tom replied, but it was more confirmation than any new info he was getting. He already knew that Jeff had been linked with Styles and that he hadn't so much as said goodbye. "I'll show myself out."

Tom returned to the locker room. On his way, he passed Styles and Flair discussing their angle (and not Kurt). AJ literally stopped in mid-word when Tom came into eyesight.

"Focus, champ... whooo!" Ric sounded like he was cutting a promo. "Tonight..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know... excuse me."

"Hey champ, we gotta match tonight... where ya goin'?"

"I know... I got some personal business to deal with."

Tom groaned softly. "Personal business... I'll make it personal if he gets in my business."

"Just who the hell do you think you are?"

"Here goes." Tom whirled around "Tom Hardy... Jeff's older brother and your worst nightmare if you continue to treat him like a piece of crap."

"I treat him like a piece of crap? After what he did to me?"

"That was four fuckin' years ago." Tom clenched his teeth. "Even I don't carry a grudge that long. You need to move on and I'm here to see that you do. End of story. Good day, sir."

"Tell me, Hardy... how long after he came back to that joke of a Federation did he start sleeping with his coworkers?" Styles taunted Tom. "'Coz he's been fucking Anderson since day one here."

With his back to Styles and Flair, neither of them could see that not only was Tom not surprised by this, but he was actually smiling. Beginning to whistle, he concluded his stroll back to the locker room.

_So jealousy rears its ugly head once again. Typical... _


	2. Flip Flop

"How bad is it? Really?" Matt demanded, lacing his boots for the next chapter in his upcoming "war" with Drew McIntyre. Another night, another beat down.

"Pretty bad." Tom answered, looking over his shoulder at the TNA locker room. "Everything Jeff told us is true times ten."

"Fuck." Matt sighed, flipping his hair out of his eyes. "What are we gonna do?"

"For now, there's not much we can do." Tom replied "I'll keep an eye on things down here and we just hafta keep each other in the loop. Speaking of which, anything to report from up north?"

"Nah." Matt answered "That story you fed them about using your personal time seems to be working. But there've been whispers that something might be coming up for you real soon."

Tom nodded, watching the interaction between Jeff and Mr. Anderson. "Really... I got the impression my competitive days were gonna be few and far between."

"Just something I heard. Fans are so not over McIntyre, it's bringing the whole show down. I swear, if Creative continues to write him in the way they have, we're gonna be giving free tickets away to our tapings..." Tom was interrupted by a loud bang from the locker room area.

"But yet there's something for me... I don't get it!" Satisfied that it wasn't Jeff being picked on by Styles or one of the few 'friends' of his, Tom returned his attention to his other brother.

"I think they wanna bring you in, but that just spec." Matt answered

Tom's call waiting beeped.

"Hang on a sec." Tom transferred over and, to his shock and slight unease, Vince was on his other line. "Uh. Mr. McMahon..."

"You sound surprised to hear from me."

For a moment, Tom thought the noise might give his location away. "Kinda... this isn't usual."

"Well, the situation isn't what you'd call usual. The fans are crapping on one of our story lines and we wanna freshen it up."

"McIntyre?" Tom guessed

"How did you..."

"I'm one of those fans." Tom answered

Vince grunted. "Can you make TV on Tuesday?"

"I'll be there." Tom shrugged, as if Vince could see it.

"Okay." Vince hung up and Tom returned to Matt, who was still waiting on the other line. "Sorry. It looks like you were right. Vince wants me back for TV to do something with McIntyre."

"Awesome."

"Depends what it is. If they're gonna do the 'defend the family honor' crap again, I may decline." Tom answered, leaning against the wall. "I really don't think that's gonna change the fans' reaction all that much."

"Whatevah." Matt answered "I'll get you go before management gets suspicious..."

Tom snorted. "Management wouldn't get suspicious if a box labeled 'anthrax' was delivered to their corporate offices. I'll see ya Tuesday." Snapping his phone shut, he went looking for Jeff, who'd managed to disappear yet again.

"You lookin' for Jeff?" Of all people to be hanging around, it had to be AJ.

"Maybe?" Tom raised his eyebrow quizzically.

"He's in the locker room gettin' frisky with Ken Anderson." AJ sneered

Oh, how Tom wanted to punch the snide expression from his face, but he kept his hands by his side. Keeping Jeff safe was his top priority and he couldn't do it if he was thrown out of TNA for beating up a coworker.

"Which one?"

"Just follow the sounds of two fags fucking." Styles appeared to be going out of his way to antagonize Tom. "You can't miss it." Laughing like he'd just thought of the world's funniest joke, he walked away.

Tom counted to ten, took a deep breath, then punched the nearest object. It was unfortunately the glass covering to a fire extinguisher, but other than that Tom felt all the anger leave his system.

"I gotta talk to Randy about anger management." Tom bandaged the three small cuts on his knuckles and also walked off, hopefully before someone blamed him for this as well. "Jeffers... where y'at?"

...

"I don't trust him one bit." Eric Bischoff was not happy when Dixie told him about Tom's unexpected arrival. "I never have."

Dixie looked at him. "But you've never met the guy... how can you not?"

"I've still got connections with Vince and his crew. I think I woulda heard if Tom was on the way out. We tried to get him when Jeff came back, remember?"

"Yeah... as I recall, he said he was getting a push and didn't want to jeopardize it." Dixie answered

"What did he say exactly?"

"That Creative didn't have anything for him."

"But he wasn't released by the WWE, right?" Bischoff tapped the surface of the desk.

"Again, that's what he said."

"There's something not right about this." Bischoff's suspicions were growing with each exchange.

"What are you thinking, Eric?" Dixie trusted his gut feelings. "Vince up to something?"

"I dunno yet, but I'm gonna find out. You can bank on that."

"How do you propose to do that?"

"We're gonna flip Abyss a little sooner than we'd originally planned and maybe he gets a little pissed off at one Jeff Hardy."

"I like it." Dixie grinned, an evil gleam coming to her normal soft eyes. "That'll prove where his loyalties lie."

Tom was lounging in the back, watching Jeff vs. Abyss. He'd seen enough of Jeff's matches, and been involved in one or two, to not worry when high-risk spots were coming up. But there was something different about tonight. There was something different about Abyss that he just couldn't put his finger on.

"Are they flipping him?" He got up from his chair near the back and started pacing.

"Who? Jeff?" Kevin Nash asked

"No, Abyss." Tom answered

"How should I know?"

"You're tight with Bischoff. What's the plan and don't tell me you don't know. I'm the king of bullshit and I can smell it a mile away." Tom stared down the seven-footer.

"Yeah, they're flipping him, but not yet." Big Sexy answered

"Not yet, eh?" Angle pointed to the screen where Jeff had just been sent through the staging area.

"I think someone called an audible."

"Goddamn it!" Tom ran out into the corridor and quickly grabbed the shirt off the back of one of the security agents. Running to the gorilla position, he got it on just in time to step out with the other agents to tend to a fallen Jeff. He was careful not to make eye contact with too many of fans just in case one or two of them also watched WWE. That would not only send the rumor mills into overdrive, but could also put Tom in a very tricky position.

Dragging Jeff back to the trainer's room, they passed Fortune, of which more than one member were snickering.

"Stupid gimmick." Tom grumbled "Five guys who never could cut it managed by one guy who can't cut it anymore."

"What did you say?" AJ got right in Tom's face.

"You're an asshole." Tom answered "I have better things to do."

"We're not finished here."

"Actually we are." Tom looked at his watch as if the entire conversation was boring him, which it was. "Remember what I said. Lose the attitude unless you want to appear on iMPACT next week in a body cast."

"You ain't gonna last long, Hardy... just remember who you're dealing with!" Both Styles and Flair's faces were turning a very interesting shade of red.

"Jeff's asking for you." One of the legit security men stepped between them before a real fight could break out.

"Cool." Tom followed him. _Don't worry... I have no intentions of lasting any longer than a few weeks..._

Tuesday's Smackdown taping,

If anyone, other than Matt, on the roster knew about Tom's appearance on the iMPACT Zone, they said nothing. He was only paying half-assed attention to the production meeting until the name Hardy came up. Fortunately, it wasn't directed at Tom.

Listening to what Creative had planned for Matt made Tom's nerves frazzle. He raised his hand, barely controlling his anger.

"Mr. McMahon... you told me I was being added to this story line... can I ask just how that was going to be accomplished?"

Vince just smiled. "You're wrestling him tonight."

"And...?"

"And you're gonna lose and my Chosen One is going to..."

Tom bit his arm to stop from cursing at the Chairman. "Yes, Mr. McMahon." _Just another day..._

The match went off as planned, or as close to it as possible. Tom was defeated by McIntyre's DDT-style finisher and left laying in the ring while Drew continued to berate anyone within earshot. But McIntyre's world was about to rocked in a Van Halen kind of way.

Teddy Long's music started up and he stepped out onto the stage.

"What do you want Teddy?" Drew asked, his accented voice dripping with contempt.

"Hold up, playa..."

"I told you, you will speak when I tell you to."

"That's just the point. I am sick of being bullied around by you and I have decided to do something about it." Teddy paced the stage, waiting for the crowd to amp up enough. "So, playa, I have resigned as General Manager of Smackdown effective immediately and named a new General Manager..."

"That's the first smart thing you've done, but don't think that I'll listen to him any more than I listened to you. I am the chosen one and Vincent Kennedy McMahon..."

"...there's nothing he can do about it." Teddy shouted "And if you gotta problem, then holla holla... I give you the new man in charge... Matt Hardy!"

To a roaring crowd, Matt stepped out and stared down Drew.

"You can't do anything... you're suspended!" Drew cackled

"I may be suspended as a wrestler, but I can still make your life a living hell. You tried to end my career, now I'm going to end yours."

"And just how do you propose to do that?" Drew had forgotten that he wasn't alone in the ring. The exchange had given Tom enough time to recover.

"I" Matt clearly emphasized the subject, "am not going to do anything. Like you said, I'm suspended. But my brother isn't."

"I've already taken care of him." Drew had hit his finisher with a little more force than the script had called for, but it wouldn't be the first time. "And as for you..."

His ears ringing slightly, Tom drop-kicked Drew from behind, then hit him with a reverse Insanity... a move he'd never done before because he had been warned not to. The normal Insanity, which was similar to the Rocker Dropper, ended with the victim absorbing it with his forearms. The opposite compressed the spine.

"That's what you get when you don't respect authority." Matt gloated "Let that be a lesson to anyone else who wants to cross me."

In the ring, Tom watched Drew writhe in pain and couldn't resist laughing. There was something about seeing someone he loathed in anguish that he found funny. All that was changed when the crowd started screaming. Tom looked up at the ramp where Matt and Teddy still stood, watching.

"Look out bro!" Matt shouted

"What?" Tom shouted back.

"Behind you." Matt waved frantically.

Tom whirled, just in time to see the seven remaining members of the NXT season one crew jump the guard rail. Tom, who was one of the few in the locker room who thought the entire NXT invasion angle from RAW a couple weeks earlier sucked balls, watched as they surrounded the ring.

_This is really gonna suck..._

_..._

From the author... for those of you who are on Facebook, and really hate the recent RAW guest hosts, I have started a group to give the job to Rick "Sign Guy" Achberger. The name of the group is "Sign Guy for RAW Guest Host". Join now!


	3. Into the Valley of the Beast

Like a pack of hungry lions, the seven NXTers stalked their prey.

"Hold up, hold up, hold up." Matt shouted from the apron. "You guys don't have to do this. You've already made your point."

He was ignored. The seven entered the ring, surrounding Tom just like's they'd surrounded Cena a couple weeks earlier and Vince McMahon on the previous night's RAW.

"Seven on one attacks isn't gonna make a name for yourselves. You may have contracts, but after what you did on RAW, do you think anyone's gonna take you seriously?"

"Oh they will." Sheffield mouthed

Tom backed toward the corner while Matt continued to berate the rookies. He motioned for a mic. "Whoa, bro, just chill the fuck out for a moment."

"What do you mean?" Matt asked

"There's nothing to worry about." Tom answered "These gentlemen and I have already reached an understanding."

"Tom, what are you talking about?" Matt looked a little shocked at learning that his brother was aligning with Barrett and his cohorts.

"You know that problem we have in Florida?" Tom winked "These gentlemen have agreed to deal with it in exchange for certain considerations. Considering what these guys did to Mr. McMahon and what I just did to his 'chosen one', I don't think Vince is gonna be too happy when he returns so we better use these guys while they still have jobs."

"I've been General Manager for all of five minutes and already my power is being usurped." Matt mock-groaned

"Actually, I made the agreement with Teddy. I didn't know he was stepping down."

Matt looked at Long, who shrugged. "Alright bro, what concessions?"

"Nothing major. I gave them what they asked for... the private locker room, the first-class travel... nothing too extravagant. As for what they've agreed to do, I'll explain everything to you later. By later, I mean in your office in ten minutes."

Matt shrugged. He knew better than to argue with his brother when he seemed to have everything planned out. "Ten minutes." He repeated, stepping off-stage.

"And unless the seven of you want the Smackdown locker room to do what the RAW locker room did to you after RAW went off the air, you know where I expect to find you in ten minutes."

The crowd seemed a bit disappointed that there wasn't gonna be another gang-style assault, but Tom really couldn't care less about the paying customers. He had a bigger agenda to fill. With the story line on RAW giving him only a few days to play with, he had to move fast.

To their credit, the rookies were more than accommodating and less than ten minutes later, they were all present in Matt's "office".

"Dude tells us to get back here or else and they don't even bother showin' up." Slater complained

"Yup, yup, yup..." Skip inadvertantly reverted back to his "cornfed meathead" persona.

"We'll give them five minutes." Barrett announced

"Then what?" Michael Tarver asked

"Then we'll..." Wade's threat was interrupted by the door opening. Matt and Tom walked in, carrying seven medium-sized bags.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, but I've been explaining to Matt exactly what I was thinking. Sometimes it takes a while for the synapses to fire correctly, if you get my meaning." The Hardy brothers quickly handed out the bags, one to a customer, to the rookies.

"What the hell's all this?" Justin pulled out a black shirt.

"It's what I expect you to wear if you're gonna live up to your end of our agreement." Tom answered "If you just walk on in looking like wrestlers coming to pick a fight, then the entire plan isn't worth the toilet paper I wrote it on."

"It's not a sure thing by any means." Matt added "But you seven are the best guys for the job, or Tom and I wouldn't be risking our necks as well on this."

"What exactly are we getting out of this?" Otunga demanded "I mean, thanks for the travel and the dressing room, but this ain't exactly helping my retirement, if ya know what I'm sayin'."

"Don't worry. If this works, you'll have more fame than you could ever hope for. Not to mention, you'll probably end up owning half the company." Tom answered "Just make sure you're at the arena at the right time. I'll arrange a hummer limo to meet you at the airport."

Tom stood to leave. "I'll give you your final instructions at that point... one last thing, gentlemen. Could you all please try to have sex before then? I swear, the pheromones you lot are giving off could make Mae Young horny."

Seven mouths opened, and closed when not one of them could come up with some witty retort or, even some sort of coherent response.

"What did he mean 'please try to have sex'?" David O finally found his tongue. He seemed to be the only one offended by the remark. "I've been banging Jennifer every chance I get."

The other six still had the deer in the headlights goin' on.

"Lucky you." Darren moaned "This 'south beach party boy' been lonelier than Skip's cattle since he left."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Does that mean I gotta bottom for all of you again?"

"Yup yup yup, what it do." Skip pushed his way closer.

"Fuck." Bending over a chair, Gabriel dropped his tights. "Let's get this over with."

Loud grunts and squeals soon wafted from under the door. The Straight-Edge society happened to be walking by. Punk immediately recognized the noises, having had the misfortune of having a hotel room next to one being used by the NXT crew for a party soon after their debuts.

"People really should consider Straight-Edge." He mumbled

Serena and Luke looked at each other and chuckled. "It's the only way to go." Luke winked at Serena, who winked back.

"Is there something you two aren't telling me?" Punk was immediately suspicious.

"No, Phil. Just let it slide." Serena reached up to gently caress the mask he wore during every waking moment. The fact that she and Luke had been banging each other since days after Serena joined was not something they wanted to share. Unlike Phil, their straight-edgeness ended once the cameras turned off, but that wasn't something either of them could admit to their 'leader'.

...

"Can we really trust them?" Matt asked "I mean, if they decide not to help..."

"Don't worry." Tom smirked "Once they teach certain people what happens if you pick on a Hardy, we won't be needing them anymore."

"You mean like hired mercenaries?" Matt asked

"Something like that."

"But you said you agreed to their demands. Doesn't that mean something?"

"Not really. They've been under contract with RAW since day one, they're just too dumb to realize it." Tom shook his head. He hated having to explain every little detail to his brother.

"How long have you been planning this?" Matt saw a twinkle in his brother's eyes.

"Long enough, but that's more than you need to know. If something goes wrong, the less you know, the better. I'll call you from Florida."

...

"Gimme that..." Jeff pleaded "It's mine!"

"You want it back... well come and get it... whoops!"

While iMPACT was filming, Ric Flair and Fortune were passing the time engaging in a very enjoyable game of keep-away with Jeff. Enjoyable for them, at least. Instead of a ball, they were tossing Bunny from one person to another.

"Ric... over here!" Kazarian shouted

"You got it... whooo!" Ric arced it well over Jeff's head.

"No!" Jeff screeched

"Serves you right for bringing a stuffed animal to work." Robert Roode laughed, a beer in one hand, reaching out to snag one of Bunny's long ears as she flew past. "Maybe we should get the little lady drunk and then really have some fun." He put the bottle to Bunny's mouth and mock poured.

"Stop that! Please!" Jeff begged "Bunny don't drink!"

"She's been around long enough... if she don't drink now, then she will later... what the hell?"

A chair appeared out of nowhere and clanged against the wall next to Roode's head. He dropped the beer and Bunny in shock. "Whoever made me spill mah beer is gonna..."

"Is gonna what?" Tom leaned against the door, blowing on his fingers.

"Not you again!" Styles moaned

"Yeah, me again." Tom glanced over to where Jeff was brushing a few loose shards off glass off of Bunny, talking to her in quiet tones. "Didn't you get my message, AJ? I said... leave my brother alone. Whatever you two had in the past is over, done, finished, kaput and if you or your new fuck-buddies can't get that through your heads, there will be consequences."

"Like what... you can't do a damn thing!" Styles, Roode, Flair, and the others formed a line and stared Tom down. "I saw you on Smackdown... you still work for McMahon and once Dixie finds out, you'll be banned from all TNA events."

"_...and if Vince saw me on iMPACT, then I'll be banned from all WWE events as well..." _

"Fortune... your promo is next."

"Stay out of our business. You've been warned." Every member of the cliq gave Tom a staredown in passing.

"You okay, Jeffro?" Tom crouched down beside him once the room was clear of enemies.

"Yeah, but Bunny is scared." He clutched the furry toy protectively. "She doesn't like it when strange people touch her."

"Y'know, Jeff. Maybe you should leave Bunny at the hotel when you come to the shows."

"But she hates to be alone. Y'know that."

"I know, little man." Tom chuckled, remembering some of the good times they'd had back in the WWE. "But with Matt 'n me still up north, you gotta do something. You made any new friends since coming back?"

Jeff blushed.

"I see. Is this going somewhere?"

Jeff blushed a little darker.

"C'mon, Jeffers. You c'n tell me." Tom put his arm around Jeff and pulled him close. "I won't tell anyone."

"Uhms... d'you promise?"

"Always."

Jeff leaned over and whispered something in Tom's ear. Tom's expression went from concerned to mildly surprised.

"You're kidding, right?" He looked down at Jeff.

"Nuh-uh." Jeff answered "Ask Bunny... she was there."

"I'm sure she was." Tom responded "I hope it works out."

"Me too." Jeff sighed

"Don't worry about Fortune." Tom recognized the angsty look. "In fact, come with me."

"Wheres?" Jeff asked

"I dunno... where's the nearest monitor?"

"Tommers... what's goin' on?"

"I told you I'd take care of you, right?" Tom smiled

"Yeah, but..."

"No buts bro, just wait and see... forget the monitor, I want a better view. Let's go gorilla."

Tom and Jeff walked toward the ramp. Seven security agents followed them as soon as they were out of the locker room.

"Tommy, why are we being followed?" Jeff noticed their escort, which was fine.

"I hired some guys to watch your back until we get this problem with AJ solved."

"But they look like..."

"Shhh... we're almost there."

Their escort disappeared steps from the stage entrance.

"Now just wait here." Tom said

"Tommers, what are you doing? You can't go out there! What if..."

"Shhh." Tom kissed Jeff's forehead, brushing back his short hair. He wasn't sure if he liked the new style, but it was Jeff's choice. "Big brother has everything under control."

Taking a huge breath, he stepped onto the ramp and was immediately bathed in light. _Thank God for sunglasses._

Ric Flair was the first to notice Tom and he quickly called his attention to the rest of Horseman ripoffs.

"You!" Flair shouted, his face already red with exertion. One of these days he was going to have legit heart failure if he continued to party like it was thirty years ago.

"Yeah, me. And this time I'm taking you out." Tom ran to the ring and punched the arrogance right off Flair's face.

"What's going on Taz?" Tenay shouted

"I know that guy... it's... it's Tom Hardy? What's he doing here? I thought he still worked for the WWE!"

"And why is he picking a fight with Fortune?" Tenay interjected

"Those Hardys are daredevils, but this is just insanity..." Taz was referring to the six on one beat down that was going on in the ring. Once the two second advantage Tom had was gone, it looked like Fortune was ready to make Tom regret his foolishness.

Until...


	4. Making an iMPACT

Jeff was watching his brother being dismantled by Fortune when he was shocked by a presence behind him. He wheeled around and Mr. Anderson, although Jeff still called him Kennedy, was staring longingly at him.

"Y'know," Ken smiled "we really don't need to watch this."

Jeff looked from the monitor to Ken, then back to the monitor. Tom was buried at the bottom of a Fortune pile-on and looked to be in serious trouble. "But..."

"I don't know your brother that well, but he must have some plan." Ken watched for another second before taking Jeff's chin and turning his gaze away. "Most people aren't willing to get the shit beat out of them just to prove a point."

"But..." Jeff repeated,

"Come with me." Ken winked "I know a way to take your mind off this." He lead Jeff back toward the locker room, but at the last second pulled him into another room closing the door behind them.

...

"We need security out here!" Taz shouted

Fortune was going about their merry business when seven black-clad men jumped into the ring. They looked like TNA security, even down to the patches identifying them as such on their shirts, but that myth was soon shot down when the attack began. Tom stayed down, keeping in character as much as he could, but he could tell that the Nexus wasn't pulling their punches and the sound of flesh on flesh made him smile.

...

Jeff was a little nervous. He was alone with Mr. Anderson and their closeness was making his arms break out in goose bumps.

"Don't be afraid." Ken closed the distance. He stood over Jeff, his breath warming Jeff's skin.

"But..." Jeff gasped. Ever since his return to the Asylum, he'd been waiting for this moment; a moment where he could finally give in to the desires that had been turning his hormones into a raging inferno inside him. But something was wrong about the situation. Maybe it was the location, or something about his concern for what was going on in the ring just a few hundred feet away.

"Shush... you've been holding back for way too long." Ken replied. In truth, he'd had a thing for the younger Hardy since his first days on the WWE roster. "I'm not stupid. I know you've had eyes for me."

"Y-y-you have?" Jeff's voice cracked.

"It's obvious." Ken answered matter-of-factly. "Why do you think AJ and friends have been picking on you so much?"

"They're assholes?" Jeff answered

"No, we're the assholes." Ken cracked a smile. "Styles wants you back. Ask anyone in the locker room."

"They why is he treating me like garbage?" Things were starting to make a little sense.

"Beats the fuck outta me, but I think it's time you... I mean we, moved on." Ken leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on Jeff's upper lip. Jeff giggled at the light contact, but returned it with a kiss of his own, one that had a little more to it. They were soon locked together, arms roving over each other's upper bodies as their passion increased.

Ken ran his fingers over Jeff's spine, feeling each individual bump. Jeff shivered at the contact, but did nothing to stop it. He arched, giving Anderson free reign to explore. Ken's hands went slower, sliding inside Jeff's pants and squeezing his butt cheeks.

"Mmmm..." Jeff reacted to the touches by deepening the kiss, sticking his tongue into Ken's mouth. Their tongues wrestled with each other while their hands were making quick work of each other's clothing. With Ken's trunks at his knees, Jeff finally got a good look at him. He'd seen Anderson naked before, but it was always quick glances across a crowded locker room. Now he was free to stare as long as he wanted.

"See something you like?" Ken smirked

"Maybe?" Jeff purred, pushing Ken back for a deeper glance. His body was magnificent. It was muscular, but not in a Lex Luger kind of way. Too many muscles was a turn off, which was one of the reasons the Hardys had feuded with Brock Lesnar in his early days. Lesnar had seemed to think that his size meant he could take anything or anyone he wanted, and that included the Hardys. He'd made the mistake of going after Matt first, but he'd learned soon enough that no one got into either brother's pants unless invited.

"You gonna stare all day?" Ken whispered

Jeff blinked, snapping out of his daydream. "Sorry. Going down memory lane."

"Nothing bad, I hope." Ken replied, grabbing Jeff's hand and bringing it into contact with his semi-hardness.

"Nuh-uh." Jeff lied, gripping the fleshy pole and teasing it to full arousal, enjoying the soft moans and heavy breathing that he was causing Ken to emit.

"Good." Ken returned the kiss. Jeff squealed, increasing his pace and plundering Ken's mouth with his own. Anderson was enjoying the moment, but he wanted it to last. That was going to be a problem if Jeff's talented hands didn't ease up.

"Jeff, please." Ken reluctantly broke the kiss. "I need you to stop."

The look on Jeff's face went from euphoria to confusion in a split second. "Don't you like it?" For a moment, it also looked like he was going to cry.

"It's not that." Ken looked down at his throbbing erection, the head completely covered with fluid. "I just don't want to come before I've had a chance to make you feel just as good."

Jeff shrugged. "Imma doesn't matter."

"To me it does." Ken dropped to his knees and fumbled with the fasteners on Jeff's cargo pants. He soon had them down to his ankles and a pair of red leopard-skin briefs soon followed. He gasped in amazement at what he saw.

"See something you like?" Jeff repeated with a giggle.

"Damn." Ken whistled, cupping Jeff's nut sack in his hand. "I was gonna suck it, but I don't know if it'll fit."

Jeff blushed a little at the compliment, but it was nothing new. Everyone of his conquests had at one point or another been awed by his size. He thrust his hips forward a little, hoping that would help Ken make up his mind.

"Just don't choke me." Ken leaned in and took about half of Jeff's length into his mouth. He gagged a little on the first stroke, but soon figured out exactly how much he could take and set up a steady rhythm. Jeff rocked on his toes, letting the feelings slowly invade his system. Compared to AJ, Ken was methodical; he didn't focus his attention on just the tip, but gave a tongue bath to his entire penis, even pausing to stroke occasionally as well as fondle his balls.

Jeff moaned. Ken took this as a good sign and picked up the pace, his tongue running along the bulging veins with each swipe.

"Kenny, I..."

"Shhh... don't talk." Ken interrupted, his mouth still stuffed.

"But..." Jeff could feel his end approaching. "I'm... fuck, Imma gonna..."

Ken pulled out at the last second. But before Jeff could say a word, Ken's mouth was replaced with his hand, and that was all it took. Jeff bit down on his arm to stop the scream that was tearing itself out of his body. It felt like he shot for almost a minute, each spurt more intense than the last. After the last one, he looked down almost afraid of what he would see. Ken's hand, face, and chest was covered with streams of whitish fluid, yet he didn't seem to care. He looked more turned on than earlier.

"Oops..."

"Don't say a word. I just want to look at you." Without removing his eyes from Jeff, Ken adjusted his own position so that he was sitting on the cold floor. He wiped some of Jeff's cum onto his hand and grabbed himself. Jeff watched, starting to get hard once more, as Anderson used long, languid strokes to bring himself to finish. It seemed like forever, but was only seconds before his hips starting bucking, and his muscles starting tensing, finishing with his own explosion.

Jeff watched the explosion, part of him wishing the orgasm wasn't being wasted like that.

"Maybe next time." Ken sighed, reading Jeff's mind.

"Next time?" Jeff asked

"Yeah... did you think this was just a one night stand?" Ken stood, looking around for something to clean up with. Jeff pulled off his t-shirt and handed it to him. With a shrug, Ken cleaned most of the mess from his body, then threw the dirty garment into a corner.

"Uhms... you mean you didn't just want to use my body and then throw me away?"

"Fuck that." Ken pulled Jeff into a hug. "If that's all I wanted, I'd have just let you get me off and then left. Besides, I don't want to deal with Matt."

"Matty? Why?" Jeff looked into Ken's face.

"If he'd done what he wanted to after AJ broke your heart, what's probably going on in the ring would be considered nice." Ken smiled, kissing Jeff's forehead.

"Don't forget Tommers." Jeff snuggled into Ken's warm embrace. "Without him..."

"I won't." Ken replied "Wanna go see if there's anything left of Fortune?"

"Yay!" Jeff bounded toward the door. "C'mon!"

Ken laughed, allowing Jeff to lead him by the hand and out into the corridor. As soon as they stepped out, they realized that Tom had done what he'd promised. It was total chaos backstage. They found a monitor and watched, both in shock at what they saw in the ring.

...

From his home, Matt was also watching iMPACT, smiling at what he was watching. He'd been a little wary when his brother had approached him with this idea, but it looked like it was working if even just to tell anyone that it doesn't matter what company you work for. You mess with one Hardy, you mess with them all. He just hoped that Vince didn't find out before Matt could come up with a believable excuse.

The phone rang. _Too late. _Matt recognized the number. He took a deep breath and answered it.

"This might seem like a really stupid question Matthew, but why am I seeing Tom and the Nexus on TNA programming?" The even tone of the query scared Matt. It usually signalled an impending explosion by the chairman of WWE.

"Why are you watching TNA?" Matt replied, hoping that it might distract his boss for a moment. It didn't. Vince launched into one of the most obscenity-laced tirades that Matt had ever been a witness to. Matt held the phone away from his ear until Vince paused for breath.

"I know just about as much as you do, Mr. McMahon." With Kane recently winning the title, Matt realized that his position with the company was not as secure as he'd like. Even with his recent 'promotion' to GM of Smackdown, nothing was for sure when it came to Vince McMahon. "Maybe you should be talking to my brother?"

"I'd like to. But he's not answering his phone right now!" Vince yelled

"Obviously. He's in the ring right now!" Matt answered

"Not that one, you idiot!" Vince roared "The other one!"

"Jeff... but why? He doesn't work for you..."

"What kind of a moron do you take me for?" Vince barked "I have known you and Jeff for over a decade. Where there's one, there's usually the other. And now that there's a third one of you..."

"Vince, I really have no..."

"I want both you and Tom in my office tomorrow morning at eight o'clock. You had better have a fucking good explanation for what I am seeing right now." Vince slammed the phone down before Matt could answer. He listened to the dial tone for a moment, before quickly calling Tom's cell phone. He did not expect his brother to answer, so it was no surprise when his voice mail kicked in.

"Tom... I hope this is worth it. Vince wants us in his office tomorrow morning." He swallowed nervously. "We may have crossed the line."

Miles away, Jeff was thinking the exact same thing, but at least he didn't have to deal with Mr. McMahon. Yet.


	5. Easy Come, Easy Go

If backstage at TNA was chaotic, then what was going on front stage was absolute bedlam. The Nexus, keeping to their word for once, had done a good shoot job on Fortune, and anyone else they saw fit. This included the legitimate security, several members of the production crew, and even a couple brave members of TNA management that dared try to maintain some order. TNA allowed blood and they were getting it by the bucket. Even their camera crew wasn't immune from the attacks. By the time they were finished, the RAW attack seemed like a picnic.

This, however, did not stop Dixie from singling out the person she deemed responsible for the attack. The moment the Nexus, carrying a kayfabe-injured Tom backstage, they were accosted by several members of Florida's state patrol, who dragged him back to her office.

"Leave." She yelled. Her screeching reminded her of when Tom used to watch Stephanie on-camera. "Now... not you, Hardy!"

Tom shrugged, wondering how long it would take Nexus to find him and how sturdy the desk was. Just in case Tarver decided not to control his often-misplaced anger and a certain female went through it.

"If I even knew where to begin, I would." She stood, hands on her hips, glaring at Tom. Tom glared back. To his surprise, Dixie blinked and began shuffling papers on her desk. "I only wish you'd signed a contract with us, so I could fire you."

"Even if I had, you'd have no grounds to. I didn't do anything." Tom shrugged

"You still work for the WWE... that's obvious, and in clear violation of any agreement with TNA."

Tom smirked. "In theory, but I don't work for the WWE."

"That's nonsense. I saw you on Smackdown..."

Tom laughed. "You watch the competition? Disregarding what it'll do to what little morale there is in this company, I'll keep that nugget of information to myself."

The door was suddenly kicked open and the Hardy at the root of the problem appeared.

"Tommers... Imma saw the evil men take you away and..."

_Here we go again. _"You're here to rescue me?"

"Uh-hmmmz." Jeff bobbed his head.

"How did you get past the police?" Dixie was more than a little peeved.

Jeff shrugged. "I dunno. Bro, can we go?"

"Take a seat for a moment." Tom laughed "I don't think your boss is finished yelling at me."

"Yelling? Whyz? What'd you do?" Jeff reached into his pocket for his candy and started munching on it noisily.

Tom chuckled. Dixie was looking more and more like she was on the verge of a complete breakdown. "The lady was just about to explain to me what her problem was. Some legal crap about me working for the WWE..."

"But you told me that ya don't work for Vince!" Jeff exclaimed

"And that's what I was trying to tell her. Mebbe she'll listen to you?"

Jeff looked at his brother, then back at Dixie. "Nah, she's just a poopy-head." He tilted the Skittles package, allowing the entire contents to dump into his mouth. "She doesn't know anything."

Tom ruffled his little brother's hair, all the while wondering if Jeff was trying to get himself kicked out of the company. Again. He didn't care, one way or the other, what Jeff's plans were. All Tom knew was that if Dixie did something really dumb, like actually look at Tom's contract, she'd be in for a tight legal battle.

"As much as I'd love to stay here and talk, I have a flight to catch. Toodles!" Tom waved in a gayish fashion and strode out of the arena.

"I don't know what the hell is going on, but I am not gonna let this happen again." Dixie quickly called a meeting with her senior employees.

...

Tom's entire demeanor changed when he heard the message from Matt just prior to his arrival at the airport.

"Well that sucks." He mumbled; a little too loudly as it turned out.

"What sucks Tommers?" Jeff said around yet another mouthful of candy.

"Nothing, little bro." Pretending like the message wasn't as dire as he knew it was, Tom stuffed the phone back into his pocket. "I'm not going to be coming home with you, that's all."

"Awwz..." Jeff was crestfallen. "Why?"

"Damned if I know." Tom hated having to lie. "You just be good until I get back and we'll hang out then."

"Okay." Jeff sniffled in disappointment. "Be home soon."

"Don't worry about me." Tom's smile was forced, but Jeff when he was freaking out was never a pleasant sight to be around. He quickly changed his flight and arrived in Connecticut just after minute. After a quick call to Matt, he checked into a nearby hotel and crashed. Or at least that was the plan.

...

Matt arrived at the hotel to pick up his brother, as per the phone tag. He waited in the car until seven-thirty and, when there was still no sign of Tom, went inside. He had a feeling Vince was already gonna be in a bad mood and being late was just gonna intenisfy an already tense situation.

"Tom Hardy... what room is he in?" Matt asked the desk clerk.

"Three seventeen, but..."

Matt didn't wait for either the man at reception to finish his thought or the elevator. He took the stairs to the third floor and ran down the corridor to the room. He knocked twice, but there was no answer. He tried the handle and to his surprise, it turned. Matt let himself into the room.

"Bro... you almost ready?"

Tom had his back to Matt. He was shirtless, his arm draped across the back of the sofa. The only movement was a raising of a beer to his mouth.

"Tom... c'mon, we can't keep Vince waiting." Matt said

"Fuck Vince." Tom answered "Fuck him and his stupid company."

_Now what?_ They'd known each other less than a year, but Matt had quickly learned that when his older brother was angry, he liked to get drunk, and getting drunk led to lashing out, which led to some very impetuous decisions. Fortunately, he'd dealt with enough of Jeff's to become an expert at talking him out of most of them. "What's wrong this time? Are you afraid that Mr. McMahon is gonna fire you?"

"I'm sure the dirty old man would like nothing more than to do just that." The beer bottle was raised again and the last of the amber contents downed quickly. "Pass me another, little brother."

Matt looked around. "Hell, no. It looks like you've had enough." The better part of a case looked to be strewn across the hotel room floor.

"Fine." Tom rolled his red eyes. He obviously hadn't slept. "I'll do it myself." Three steps toward the case and he tripped.

"I don't think so." Matt grabbed Tom before he could hit the ground and dragged him toward the shower. "You're gonna get cleaned up, get dressed, and then we are gonna deal with our boss."

"Your boss, you mean." Tom slurred his words softly.

Matt threw him into the bathroom. "If you're not clean and sober in the next ten minutes, I'm coming in there and sober you up by force if I hafta."

"You'd like that, wouldn't cha?" Tom smiled drunkenly. "Get your hands all over my hot bod? Do dirty things to me?"

"Dude, that's just sick." Matt shook his head, blaming the booze. "Ten minutes."

Matt stood by the door until he heard the sound of running water. He looked at the beer, wondering if maybe one or two would help steady his nerves as well. That idea was soon shot down. Even if Tom wasn't happy with the way his career was going, Matt was not going to make a rash decision.

Tom's cell beeped while he was showering. The number was a Florida area code, so Matt assumed it was Jeff calling.

"Hello?" He asked, a mistake in hindsight.

"Mr. Hardy... it's Chris Sobol... VP of Operations for TNA."

"Yes?"

"It's not very often that someone gets to prove Dixie wrong, but our legal department did some digging and it turns out you are no longer employed by the WWE. That being said; we don't condone what happened on iMPACT, but if you're interested in signing a contract, we're open to a meeting."

"Uh..." Matt stuttered. This explained his reluctance to the meeting with Vince. "I think there's been a little misunderstanding. This is Matt Hardy."

"Oh... sorry. Could you pass along the message to Tom please?"

"Sure. Call back at this number?"

"Okay. I'll be waiting."

"What the hell are you doing answering my phone?" Tom was still slurring his words a touch, but he no longer smelled like a brewery.

"Sorry... I thought it was Jeffro." Matt handed it back to Tom, who looked at the number, then tossed it aside.

"Well, who was it?" Tom walked over to his suitcase and started ruffling through it.

"Some guy from TNA, wanting to offer you a deal." Matt took a deep breath while he waiting for a reaction.

"Cool." Tom grabbed a black dress shirt and rapidly buttoned it.

"He said that you're not working for WWE, that's why. Tom... what's going on?"

His first instinct was to come up with some bullshit story, but Matt was one of the few people Tom had a hard time justifying lying to. "Sit down, bro." He waved at the couch while he grabbed a pair of boxers and socks. As he dressed, he explained the situation.

"You remember six months ago when I had that falling out with Creative?" He asked

"How could I forget. It's not everyday that Vince fires half his writing squad instead of future endeavoring a Superstar." Matt nodded. He'd gained a total respect for Tom that day.

"Well, that was the beginning of the end for me. The only thing anyone has been able to come up with is you and me being a tag team, but that wasn't something I wanted to do."

"But... why?" Matt had wanted to tag with Tom since the beginning. "I was the one pushing it. I thought you would've..."

"Jumped at it?" Tom finished "No offense, but replacing Jeff in the Hardy Boyz would just shit on everything you two had accomplished."

"I don't get it... TNA?"

"Between you and me, there's a lot of things that Vince doesn't know about our situation. As far as Nexus goes, they're in no danger. They're drawing like you wouldn't believe, but me... I'm just a tumbleweed, going where the wind takes me."

Matt was confused and his expression clearly indicated that.

"Two hours after the last Smackdown taping, and twenty-four hours before I appeared officially on TNA, my contract with World Wrestling Entertainment expired." Tom put his pants and shoes on. "I told legal I had no interest in resigning with them and, if Vince asked, to tell him that. As far as I know, Vince never asked. He just assumed..."

"So you're leaving, is that it? Just like that?"

"Matt, I hope you've known me long enough to trust my judgment. Right now, the best place for me is in TNA." Tom rapidly straightened his damp hair. "If Styles is gonna continue to sexually harass Jeff, then someone has got to protect him and we both know that I can't keep 'borrowing' talent."

Matt exhaled. As he always did, Tom had a way of putting things into perspective. "But I thought Jeff and Anderson..."

"Two guys against six... those are real good odds." Tom crossed his arms, continuing to glare at Matt. "Since the bimbo that runs the joint is thicker than Cena's quad, I don't see any other way of changing that. At least Jeff will have two people he can trust down there. Three if you count Shannon, but I got the feeling Fortune's already gotten to him."

"You've got it all figured out, haven't you?"

"That's what I do best." Tom grabbed his jacket. "Let's go drop a bomb on Vince."

...

Since Jeff's chosen method of breaking up with AJ had been to leave the company and simply not return any of his calls, Styles had made it his mission to torment the young Hardy just as much when he returned. Even though Nexus had cracked three of his ribs, broken his right hand, and given him a huge gash over his right eye, he refused medical attention. Like Tom, he was good at piecing things together. It wasn't that he wanted to get back with Jeff, he just wanted to kill any future attempts at happiness.

He saw Jeff and Anderson leaving the iMPACT Zone together and that got his blood boiling. Needing to vent, he locked himself in a supply room and tried to calm down. It was working until he saw something that had no right being there.

"Oh, hell no..." His voice barely above a growl. On top of a pile of oil rags was a shirt. "They didn't... under my nose... those fuckers..." AJ recognized it, as well as the telltale sticky spots.

Any trace of remaining calm vanished. "Hardy, you're goin' down!"


	6. Master of his Domain

If anything, Vince was not one to keep people around when they obviously had no interest in doing right for either the company or the fans. However, to say that he agreed with the actions of the elder Hardy would be like saying he didn't care about the size of his empire. After a short, but intense-worded meeting with Matt and Tom, both came to a compromise. Tom agreed to make one more appearance with Nexus on RAW and Vince agreed not to fight Tom going to TNA.

Arriving at the arena for that night's show, Tom immediately knew that news of his departure had reached the locker room. Everyone's idle chatter stopped the moment he entered and he could feel everyone's eyes upon him while he changed.

_Maybe I shoulda changed with Nexus. _"I can assume that you've all heard." Not turning around was his best plan at the moment, since dealing with them face to face was not a priority.

"In this business, it's usually kinda nice to tell your coworkers that you're leaving. Especially..." The rest of John Cena's rant never made it out of his mouth when Tom whirled around. He'd figured someone, and it made sense that it was John since he tried to be almost everyone's friend, would call him out. Hardy just never figured it would be in front of everyone and that made his anger rise.

"And why exactly would that be, champ? People come and go all the time." Tom smirked

Cena shrugged. "Hey, it just ain't me. There's a lot of guys here that..."

"What? Don't get mushy and say that you'll miss me." Tom stifled a laugh. "Everyone knows that you've had the hots for me, but don't embarrass yourself."

John blushed. He'd tried hard to keep that a secret, but if Tom was telling the truth, he'd failed miserably.

Looking from face to face, he tried to get a read on his soon-to-be former coworkers, but most of them just looked ticked off. Randy, in general, looked like he wanted to RKO Tom on the spot and 'Taker, well he always looked pissed off at the world. "So would you like me to explain myself or just let the rumors abound?"

"I think you owe us that." Edge grumbled. The way the Canadian was acting was a surprise. Despite having Matt as a mutual friend and brother, their relationship hadn't even progressed to the ribbing stage.

"AJ Styles has been harassing Jeff." Tom leaned against the lockers. Feeling the cool metal against the skin of his back was relaxing. "And since TNA seems to allow that kind of shit to go on right under their noses... need I say more?" Nods from members of the current RAW roster who had worked for 'the other guy' in the past answered his last query.

"So I'm sorry if I ruffled a few feathers, but I couldn't chance being talked out of this." Tom turned back and completed changing. "BTW, I am with the Nexus tonight..." He knew at least one member of the crew would take that as an invite.

...

Meanwhile, Jeff was trying hard to calm the butterflies in his stomach. True to his words, Kennedy had not been a fuck and run kind of guy. In the three days following their encounter at the arena, it's seemed like he was genuinely trying to start something meaningful. But sitting in a restaurant where anyone could walk in at anytime was sending his nerves into overdrive and even Ken saw this.

"It's this thing with Fortune, right?" Ken asked

Despite Tom (and Nexus') best intentions, Fortune had swore revenge and it looked like it would be sooner rather than later.

"Uhm..." Jeff debated whether to talk or stare at his steak. He chose the latter.

"It's really none of my business but if this thing we got is gonna work, it might help if I knew what I was getting into..." Reaching for his beer, he continued, "I mean, it's not like we're official or anything, but..." Pausing, Ken waited for Jeff to take the next step.

Jeff set his fork and knife down, sighed, and told Ken everything, omitting some of the more personal details. By the time he was finished, he felt a little better, but Ken seemed to be getting riled up.

"TNA's done nothing?" He demanded

"Nuh-uh." Jeff sighed again, reaching for a beer. "They think it's all just ribbing."

"Okay, sure." Ken rolled his eyes. "So why are you still here? I'm sure Stamford would just love to have you back."

Jeff shrugged. "I think Vince is scared that he'll sign me and then this trial thing will screw everything up."

"At the rate the prosecutor is going, it'll be 2015 before opening arguments are even heard." Ken chuckled. "How many times have they pushed it back?"

"I've lost count." Jeff answered sheepishly.

"At least it's giving you time to put a case together to sue the D.A. once this is over."

Jeff was silent, but his body language was easy to read.

"Let's get the hell outta here." Ken chugged back the rest of his beer. "Why don't we go pick up some beer, go back to my hotel room, order in some room service and watch RAW?"

"You mean it?" Jeff squeaked

"Yeah. You obviously don't want to be in public right now and there's no way I will be able to change that, so let's do something a little less strenuous." Ken motioned for the bill.

Jeff wasn't sure if that was going to be the answer to his problems, but he was kinda curious as to how his brother was going to end his RAW career. As if by telepathy, his phone rang.

"Tommers?"

"Hey, little bro." Tom sounded a little out of breath.

"I was jus' thinkin' about ya." Jeff replied

"You were?" Tom chuckled "What were you thinking?"

"Ken 'n me were gonna watch your final night." Jeff replied

"How did you know it was my final night?"

"Matty told me."

"Figures." Tom snickered "Well, I hate to break it to you, but what is going to happen won't be on the air."

"Awwz..." Jeff sighed

"My Nexus involvement was so minor, Vinnie-Mac didn't think it was worth devoting air time to." Tom shrugged "Either way, I'll be at iMPACT on Thursday, so there's nothing to worry about. If you want, I'll tell you all about it then."

"Promise?" Jeff asked

"Yeah... have fun with Ken and I'll see you in a couple days." A production assistant shoved the run sheet under Tom's nose the second he was off the phone.

"This is the best creative could come up with!" His eyes rolling back, Tom was tempted to shove the document down someone's throat.

"It's the only thing that would make sense. They're getting Matt to explain it fully on Smackdown."

_I knew this was a mistake... I knew this was a mistake... _"Alright, where's Cena?"

...

Curled up next to Kennedy, a thick Chicago deep-dish pizza nearby, Jeff tried to forget all his problems and focus on RAW. When Tom said he wasn't gonna be on, he wasn't kidding... Nexus attack Mark Henry... no Tom. Nexus attack Khali... no Tom. Nexus as lumberjacks... no Tom. Nexus runs like scalded dogs... no Tom. RAW off the air... no Tom.

"I thought your brother was supposed to be 'in charge' of Nexus?" Ken asked, noting Jeff's confused expression.

"Considering it was his last night, I hoped he would've been on camera at least once." Jeff sighed

"Oh well, you'll see him in a couple days." Ken smiled "Now," Ken grabbed a slice and took a huge bite. "let's see if there's any good Swedish porn on."

...

"We're clear." The backstage crew announced to the broadcast team, followed by the annoying beep of an incoming e-mail from the anonymous General Manager of RAW.

"If I could have your attention, please." Cole ascended to the computer, and 'read' the message. "Due to the actions of the Nexus tonight, I am hereby ordering a match between John Cena and any member of the Nexus he desires and should any other member of Nexus interfere in this match, they will be removed from the Summerslam match and suspended indefinitely. This match will take place right now."

John grabbed a mic. Nexus was still away from the action, gathering themselves. "Well Nexus, it looks like I'm gonna get a chance to take one of you out before Summerslam. Who should it be? I've already kicked the crap out of Darren Young, and the other six of you aren't fit to carry my jock strap. But I remember an old saying... chop off the head and the body will fall." He suddenly turned to face the entrace. "Tom Hardy, get your ass out here!"

Backstage Tom cracked his knuckles. "Here we go." He stepped onto the stage, sans music, and flashed his ten-dollar smile. "Cena, Cena, Cena, do you really expect these fans to believe that I control Nexus?"

"Then explain..."

"I don't have to explain anything to anyone. But I will point out one little flaw in what you pass for logic. Everyone else who's tried to control, contain, or otherwise keep in line Nexus has found themselves in a world of hurt. Bret, Vince, you name it. All Nexus was to me is what they are to everyone else... a bunch of no-talent thugs. I tricked them into doing my dirty work because I knew that no one else around was that green. Maybe the Miz, but that's another story." Taking a breath, he tried to gauge the crowd's reaction. As he expected, they were fully behind Cena. Out of the corner of his eye, he also caught Nexus' reaction. Sheffield was saying something to Barrett, and by reading lips it was along the lines of 'what does he mean no-talent thugs?'

"Hey, I don't care if you run Nexus, are a part of them, or just pick up their laundry... our GM said I could pick anyone to destroy and I pick you. Now get down here and let me finish this!"

"Might as well try." Tom shook his head, dropping the mic and running to the ring. Once he slid under the bottom rope, Cena was on top of him in a heartbeat.

The match was brief, and very one-sided. While being hoisted in the Attitude Adjustment (and Tom was quite happy with his attitude the way it was, by the way), he whispered something to Cena that almost caused the New Englander to lose his grip on the hold.

"You serious?" John whispered, while covering Tom for the pin.

"Yeah... now get the hell outta here while I deal with Nexus. I'll see you backstage." Tom whispered, his easily drowned out by the crowd marking out.

Tom closed his eyes, and waited. _It'll all be over soon._

_..._

John headed straight for the shower. After wrestling two matches back to back, he needed to get cleaned up and fast. Standing under the spray, he alternated it between hot and cold to calm both his hormones and get the sweat off him.

At least he was alone, temporarily. Everyone else was watching the dark match aftermath and gave him time, he hoped, to get his mind where it needed to be. However, that didn't stop his cock from having a mind of it's own, every time the not-so-innocent words Tom had whispered to him ran through his mind.

_I'll see you backstage and then we can say goodbye._

He had been crushing since Tom had become the final member of the then-trio of Hardy Brothers. Having been assigned to Smackdown had been both a blessing and a curse. John had been able to focus on his career, and his personal life, without having to worry about embarrassing himself every time their paths crossed. God forbid they accidentally bumped into each other at a mega-show or Pay-Per-View event.

But Tom was straight. Sure, after a few drinks, he'd once admitted to experimentation, but ninety-nine percent of the time, he shied away from any gay connotations.

_Dammit... dead puppies... old nuns... _

When that didn't work, he resorted to self-gratification, but that only provided temporary relief. His heart pounding in his chest, Cena repeatedly tried to convince both heads that nothing was going to happen. It might have worked if...

"Hey Cena," Tom was waiting for him when he stepped out of the shower. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Gimme a minute." John answered, dressing frantically so Tom wouldn't see that his hard-on had returned. "Okay, what?" He turned, hoping that the bulge wasn't as visible as it felt.

"If you got me alone, what's the one thing you'd like to do to me?"

Cena's jaw dropped.


	7. 1 From Column AJ, and 1 From Column BJ

"Jeff, would you stop staring at the phone and come watch the movie? I'm sure that Tom will call eventually."

"But what if summin went wrong? What if he's hurt?" Jeff demanded.

"It's his last night. I'm sure the guys just took him out for a beer or something. Pizza's getting cold and the Swedes are gonna be finished and you'll still be staring at that thing." Ken sighed "If you don't get your bubble butt over here right now, Bunny and I will have our own party. Right, little lady?"

Bunny waved.

"Do you like pizza?" Ken asked. Bunny nodded.

"Since Jeffy seems to be more concerned about a phone call, would you like some?"

Bunny nodded again.

"Cool. But I don't think this is appropriate." Referring to the movie now playing, "Let's see if we can find something a little less graphic..."

...

Tom seemed to find Cena's expression completely hilarious. "Tongue-tied? That's a first."

John turned around so he could both compose and adjust himself.

"You know, I'd rather have this conversation with your face instead of your ass." Tom answered "While I've seen it, and it is good-looking, I'd rather not talk to it if that's okay with you?"

John turned back around.

"And you don't have to keep adjusting yourself. You're not the first guy who's admitted to having an attraction to me. Just the first one that I know personally." Tom stated. He felt a little guilty about stringing John along, but he was determined to get an answer to his question.

"So..."

"Tom, I..."

"I don't really care and it won't change anything. I'm just curious." Tom flicked some of his black mane out of his eyes.

It took a minute for Cena to formulate an answer. "Give you a blowjob."

Tom smiled. "A blowjob, huh? I would've expected something a little more involved from you. Whips and chains, whipped cream and cherries, something like that."

Cena blushed crimson.

_What are you doing, Hardy... unless you plan to go through with something, stop teasing John!_

"Stupid conscience." Tom mumbled "Of all the times to be right."

"Now who's the one with their tongue stuck to a flagpole?" Cena broke into John's thoughts.

Tom sighed. _How much different could it be than getting one from a girl? I've heard of straight guys accepting blowjobs from other guys before..._ His 'experimentation' has gone no farther than simple petting. He was heading into uncharted territory with this convo, and what he said next shocked both of them and who was more surprised, neither Tom nor John was sure.

"You know, I could really go for a blowjob right now." Now that the words were out of his mouth, Tom realized that maybe he had spoken in haste, but there was no way he was taking them back.

John stared at his hands, sighing loudly.

"John, I'm not screwing with you if that's what you are thinking." Tom also exhaled very loudly. "I may be a lot of things, but I'm not like some of the guys. I don't fuck with people's emotions, especially people I call friends. Our paths may not cross for a long time, and I know forever is impossible, but I can give you tonight." He closed the ten feet that separated the two of them, and took Cena's chin in his thumb and index finger. "So, what do you really want to do to me?"

Cena hesitated. Hardy laughed, but not in a mocking tone.

"But how did you..."

"You hesitated." Tom answered "You were trying to come up with something safe. Y'know, something that wouldn't turn me right off. I'm guessing that was number three on your list... wanna try again?"

"A kiss?" John asked. It wasn't the number one thing, but Tom was right. When Tom first asked the question, Cena had tried to come up with something that Tom might actually agree to, even if it wasn't top priority.

"A kiss?" Tom repeated "That sounds more like you, but I'm still not buying it. Tell you what, if number one is what I think it is, I'm in 1246. See you later."

Tom exited, leaving a very flustered Cena behind.

...

The injuries at the hands of Nexus aside, Styles pride was shattered. He had been anxiously waiting for the right time, but indirectly finding out that Jeff was no longer available had driven him into a spiral.

"C'mon, champ, let's go paint the town. Whoo!" Flair, also a little banged up, was attempting to raise his spirits. It was almost funny, in a pathetic kind of way.

"Go 'way, Ric. I really don't feel like it."

"Whatever." Ric jived his way out for a night on the town.

Styles tossed a glass at the door. "I swear Jeff, you're coming back to me whether you want to or not... room service, send me three bottles of whiskey... yes, three." He slammed the phone down and waited. Getting completely bombed seemed like the best way to deal with things.

...

"Hey, little bro." Tom was also on the phone. He was taking care of his travel plans and a few other minor details. "I'm just calling because I don't know protocol down there. Do I just show up or what?"

"Yeah." Jeff answered excitedly. He'd been waiting for this call all night.

"Cool. I have one last thing to take care of before I can say the choke chain the WWE has on me is severed. I dunno how long this will take, so I'll try to catch up with you before the show, but if not, Lizard and I will see you Thursday. Okies?"

"Okies. Love ya, Tommy."

"Love you too, Jeffro." Tom hung up. _I wonder if Cena is... I guess so._ A knock on the door interrupted his reverie.

"I guess the rumors that the Doctor of Thuganomics doesn't make house calls are false."

"Sorry I'm late. I wasn't sure..."

"If I was serious?" Tom answered "I told you, I don't fuck with friends like that. My name is Tom Hardy, not the Miz. Now getcha ass in here before we both start wondering what the hell we're doing."

"Don't you know, man?" Cena swallowed anxiously. The ride to the hotel had been spent in total silence, replaying in his mind what he wanted to say. Tom had a rep for being able to smell bullshit a mile away, something John had found out when he tried to get away with not speaking from the heart.

"I know exactly what I'm doing." Tom chuckled "But I don't think you do."

"Whaddaya mean?... Of course I know..."

"John Felix Anthony Cena," Tom watched the color go to his face. "you 've been thinking about what you'd like to do to me since I joined this happy little family. Now that I'm giving myself to you, however, the best you can come up with is a kiss and a bj. If your not gonna be honest with me, then be honest with yourself. If you can't do that, we have no business taking this any further."

"S-s-seriously?" John said breathily.

"Yes... be honest, John. What is it you want?" Tom looked at him quizzically.

"I w-w-want..." John paused "I want..."

"Yes?"

"I want you to fuck me like I've never been fucked by anyone before." John's face was now bright red.

"Was that really so hard to admit?" Tom answered, knowing all along what it was that John wanted. "Don't answer that... I can read your face like graffiti on the toilet stall wall."

His attempts at making the situation less tense not working, and Cena looking less sure of himself with every passing second, Tom changed his tactics.

"Look, this is new ground for me." Now it was Tom's turn to falter. "But, like I said, I sure could go for a blowjob, and I meant it. What happens after that, we'll just have to take it one step at a time."

The words seemed to put Cena at ease, if only for a moment until he realized what was gonna happen.

"I assume that you've done this with a dude before, so" Tom rubbed the back of his neck absently. "what do you usually do?"

"Get the guy's pants off so fast his head spins." John answered, his accent making it sound all the more cocky.

"Works for me." Tom replied, his hands on his hips. He expected Cena to go for it right away, but the hesitation in the younger man was still there. After what seemed like hours, John finally reached out, but chose to begin by simply rubbing Tom's groin through his jeans.

_Maybe he's trying to make sure there's something for him to suck on... _Tom thought silently instead of saying it aloud. That would only add to the tension of the situation and John still seemed to be just as nervous about it as the Hardy brother.

He stood silently while John massaged the area and, to Tom's not-so-immediate surprise, it started to feel pretty good. So good, that his body was reacting. _If he keeps doing that, I'll be dry-humping his hand before too long._

A soft moan escaped Tom's lips around the time he felt a tug at the snap on his jeans. Part of him wanted Cena to hurry up and another part of him enjoyed being lavished with the attention for a change.

On the other side of things, Cena was having a hard time controlling himself. He knew this was a one time thing, but his cock was sending other messages to his brain, his hands, and his mouth. He wanted to take his time, enjoy every moment, but he couldn't stop himself from tugging Tom's jeans and boxers down around his ankles.

Tom chuckled. He knew this was coming, but when John didn't do anything right away, he looked down. John was staring at him in awe, which was a little embarrassing. He knew he wasn't the biggest guy in the locker room... than honor went to Daniel Bryan of all people, but he was gonna let John look as long as he wanted and Cena was doing just that.

John licked his too-dry lips as he stared at Tom's dick, perfectly smooth, with a large vein running up the back. He tentatively reached out and stroked it, cupping the large sack beneath at the same time.

Tom moaned, his knees getting all rubbery. This was totally blowing his expectations away. He'd expected John to be quick and rough about it, but he was taking his time, showing a surprising amount of tenderness given his rough around the edges exterior.

"Maybe you should sit down." John suggested. The sofa was only inches away.

"Yeah." Tom gasped and dropped onto it, Cena's hand not breaking contact. Just the simple friction was bringing him to the point of no return. Cena sensed this and leaned it, swiping his tongue up the underside of Tom's dick and back down, tickling it with the tip.

"Fuck..." Tom gripped the back of the couch, his senses going into overdrive.

Cena knew that he could probably convince Tom to go for it, but he'd agreed to a blowjob and John was not going to push his luck. Tom's guttural moans told him enough and he opened wide and drew the entire quivering shaft inside.

_He does that better than most girls... _Tom involuntarily thrusted into Cena's mouth. He gagged a little, but soon took control, holding Tom's hips steady while his lips and tongue worked him. He had many compliments on the skill with his mouth over the years, and he knew how to bring pleasure. He could already tell that this was going to be a quick one. He sensed Tom's muscles tensing, his shaft swelling, his balls tightening, but the first shot hitting the back of his throat still came as a bit of a surprise. Even as Hardy continued to shoot, John was already pulling away. He wasn't much for swallowing.

"Wow... Cena, that was incredible." Tom gasped

"You ain't regrettin' this, aight?" John responded, a little tremor in his own voice.

"No, but I regret that we never did this sooner." Tom answered, reaching for his clothes. "Because much as I would like to take care of the other two things on your list, I have to get to the airport."

"Yeah." Cena answered sadly. He knew that this was probably going to be just what it was. A one-off.

"But at least I can give you something to remember." Tom grabbed Cena by the belt and pulled him onto the couch. "Now shut up and kiss me."

...

Ken and Bunny had both dozed off mid-film. Jeff flipped through the channels, disappointed that he couldn't find anything worth watching. There wasn't even any titty porn on Skinnemax.

"Stupid TV." He grumbled, reaching for the pizza box. Empty.

"Stupid pizza." He reached for a bottle of beer.

"Stupid beer. Why is there never any left for me?" He kicked the pizza container halfway across the room. That gave him a little satisfaction. "Imma goin' to get Skittles." He announced to whomever might be listening.

"Stupid people." Jeff stomped around the room. He hated when nobody was around to pay attention to him. "Be back soon."

Down the hall to the candy machine, get many Skittles, then back into the room before anyone started wondering what had happened or where he'd gone. It seemed simple enough, but on his way back, Jeff stopped dead in his tracks. Coming from the other end of the corridor was AJ. He looked drunk, ready to fight, but most of all, he was looking directly at Jeff.

"Eep..."


	8. A Brewing Storm

AJ could not believe the message that his drunk eyes were attempting to relay to his brain. There it was, within arm's length, the one person he thought he'd never have a chance to get close to again.

Jeff did not see it that way, but AJ was blocking his return to the security of Ken and Bunny.

_Play it cool... maybe he hasn't seen you yet._

"Hi Jeff." AJ was very drunk. The only reason he'd ventured out of his hotel room was to get some ice for the third bottle of whiskey he was working his way through.

"Uh... hi." Jeff peeked around Styles' body, hoping that someone was at the very least listening. He saw no one.

"Look... can we talk?" AJ asked, stepping closer. Jeff could smell the booze, even from that distance, and that meant problems.

"About what?"

"Like maybe why you just took off and never ever said good-bye!" Now almost on top of Jeff, AJ glared at the other man.

"That was a long time ago."

"So? You ever heard of common decency?" Pinning Jeff against the wall, Styles continued to intimidate Jeff.

"Do you even know what a relationship is?" Jeff squirmed in an attempt to break free, but AJ's grip held. "It's about two people sharing everything together."

"What's your point?"

"The point is... the point is..." Jeff finally escaped the clutches of his ex and scampered to a safe distance. "I was just a trophy fuck to you! A toy to parade around the locker room with... it was never about us!"

Jeff's words stung, but it was the truth.

"C'mon, you know I loved you!" AJ pleaded

"No! You only loved being with me 'coz it gave you status. I'm with someone who loves me for me and not because of what I can do for his career."

"Please, Jeffy... gimme another chance!" AJ whined, grabbing back onto Jeff's left wrist.

"I said no!" Jeff broke free with another gigantic tug that left Styles on his butt in the middle of the hallway. "Now stay 'way from me!"

"Jeff..." AJ lunged for him, but Jeff was already inside his hotel room.

"What the hell was all that?" Ken looked over, watching Jeff slam and bolt the door.

"AJ... he's here..." Jeff gasped

"Does that surprise you?" Ken replied

"Imma call Tommy." Jeff fumbled for his phone, but his shaking hands dropped both it and his Skittles on the floor. Jeff soon followed, sliding down the wall. "No no no..."

"C'mon, there's no sense getting like this." Ken was at Jeff's side in moments. "Take your Skittles and Bunny and relax. I'll call your brother and see when the fuck we can expect him to make an appearance..."

...

"Mmm... for a straight guy, you sure do kiss somethin' hot." Cena moaned

"Now Johnny," Tom looked at him reproachfully, "who said anything about me being straight?"

"But..." His voice failing him again, Cena could only sputter.

"But what?" The effect he was having on John aside, Tom loved the mind games.

"You're the king of the gay jokes! You... you turned on John Morrison in the middle of a match because he accidentally touched your ass." Obviously Cena was having a tough time digesting what he was hearing.

Tom shook his head. He was used to this reaction. "My sex life is my own business unless I choose otherwise. So I put on a persona backstage as well? If you've got a problem, then whatever."

"And if I told you I was just bi-curious?" Cena asked, attempting to throw some of Tom's cockiness back at him.

"Then I would say I hoped I satisfied your curiosity." Tom answered. Not the reply Cena was expected.

"But seriously, are you bi or gay or what?" Cena wouldn't let it die.

_Two kinds of people in this world... winners... losers..._

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Tom stated. John didn't know if he was referring to the question or his cell phone.

"Yes." John replied

"Hey, bro... oh, what's goin' on Kennedy?"

"When you getting here?" Ken asked, peering into the bedroom where Jeff was tossing in the sheets. "We've had a little setback."

"Little?" Tom asked

"Just when are you gonna arrive?"

"My flight got delayed." Tom looked at his watch. He had missed the first one out, thanks to Cena's abilities with his mouth, but there were always more planes. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Sure, sure."

"Jackass." Tom snapped his phone closed. _My brother goes from one idiot to another... why couldn't Rob have tried something?_

"More problems..."

"Duh... I really got catch a flight." Tom quickly gathered his stuff. "I've got the room until tomorrow morning if you want it."

"What about...?"

"Us?" Tom interrupted "I have no idea. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy what we just did, but I'm not relationship material. Just ask my exes. Do you want something more?"

John looked down. "Yeah, I do." He sighed

Tom nodded. "Right now, that is not an option for two reasons. One, I have family business in Florida that takes precedence and two, I don't think you know what you want. You were in heaven doing that stuff to me, but now that the rush is gone, you're doubting yourself."

"Don't tell me what I am and am not feeling!" John shouted

"You know where I'll be. Give yourself some time to make sense of this and who knows... maybe we can find a way to make this thing work." Tom replied "I'll talk to you later."

Cena wanted to beg Tom to stay. He was close to getting down on his knees again, but before he could, he was gone.

...

Jeff didn't see his brother until the iMPACT taping and just barely at that. A freak line of tornadoes had grounded all flights through the midwest, a fact Tom discovered when he arrived at the airport. Taking a cue from Edge, Tom drove just hours, and sometimes minutes ahead, of the approaching storm front, and made it into Orlando with barely hours to spare before the show. Getting out of his car, he stared at the sky, watching in fascination as the line of black clouds came closer and closer.

"I wonder if the show's even goin' on?" He said aloud, despite the parking lot being completely void of people. There was no wind, no birds, no sound at all except the hum of the generators providing power to the arena.

Whistling softly; even that low sound seemed almost eerie in the surrounding silence, he calmly headed inside.

"Hey, Hardy..." He'd almost made it all the way to the dressing rooms before someone recognized him.

"Hiya Shanny... how goes it?"

"Everyone's on edge tonight." Shannon answered

"Must be the weather or something." Tom replied "You seen outside?"

"Yeah... how'd you get here? I heard a lotta the cross-country flights were cancelled."

"They are." Tom stated "I raced the storm here. We still rollin' tonight?"

"As far as I know, but most times the talent is the last to find things out. Anyway, Jeff's waiting for you. So is Anderson."

Tom nodded.

"Creative meeting is in half an hour, so you better hurry. Vince's fits are nothing compared to how Dixie gets if someone doesn't show up on time."

Tom nodded serenely. He'd received several verbal whippings from the Chairman during his tay and if Dixie was worse... he tried not to think about that. "Where?"

"Locker room, I think." Shannon replied

"Anything I should know?"

"You'd hafta ask them. They're not saying a word to anybody."

"Figures." Tom stated

...

"Where is Tommers?" Jeff anxiously paced the locker room.

"He'll be here. I've never known your brother to skip out on something." Ken responded

"You've never known him period." Jeff retorted "Randy already got you fired by the time he joined."

"Did someone mention my name?"

"Tommy!" Jeff squealed, leaping into his brother's arms and peppering his face with kisses. "Imma so glad you here!" More kisses followed.

"Me too. I almost didn't make it." Tom replied, setting his brother down and wiping off his face. Jeff's kisses were very juicy, especially after he'd been snacking on Skittles. "Looks like we're in for a big storm."

"MM-hmms." Jeff nodded

"So, what's this little setback you told me about?" Tom asked

Ken explained what had happened in the hotel earlier.

"Dude hasn't got half a clue, has he?" He pursed his lips. "Not to worry. Big brother will take care of it. I don't have Nexus with me, so I'll have to make everyone think it's part of the show."

"Yayz... I knew you'd help." Jeff squeezed Tom again.

"That's what big brothers are for. Now, do I have time to eat before the run meeting?" Tom's stomach gurgled loudly. "All I've eaten recently is a couple power bars."

"You guys, Dixie's bumped the meeting up due to the weather. I think she's planning to cancel the show." A TNA production assistant stuck his head in the door.

"Cancel? That's a first." Ken whistled

"Have you seen outside? It looks like the arena is going into lockdown mode."

"Lockdown mode? WTF is that?" Tom asked

"Same thing they did in New Orleans during Katrina. Everyone who's in Universal right now is being directed here. We're the most sturdy structure."

_That's what they always say... and we know how that worked out..._

"Looks like space will be at a premium. This I gotta see." His quest for food temporarily forgotten, Tom left the locker room, heading for the doors. They were standing wide open and looking outside, Tom could see a steady line of park-goers streaming into the arena. What really scared him was, even though it was five in the afternoon in Florida, it was pitch dark outside.

"I give it fifteen minutes." Alex Shelley walked past, talking to partner Chris Sabin. "Then it'll be hell."

_At least if they pack the place, I can keep AJ away from Jeff... that's a plus._

"Hey, noob..." Sabin shouted over. It took a second before Tom realized he was the noob in question.

"Yo?"

"Didn't they tell you anything?"

"About what?" Tom responded

"Well, it's an unwritten rule that the new guy hasta give handjobs to the Tag Team Champs." Sabin smirked. To the side, Shelley bobbed his head in agreement.

"Let me write that down." Tom pulled an invisible piece of paper and pen from his pocket and started to write. "Handjobs to Tag champs, buy drinks for X division, wash cars of booking department... is there anything else I should know?"

Alex and Chris looked at each other, and broke into gales of laughter. "You know we were kidding, right?"

"Kidding?... That sucks. People tell me that I'm really good with my hands." Tom answered. He loved throwing it back at people, although the last twenty-four hours had planted deep seeds of doubt about his own sexuality in his mind. "Besides, I was under the impression that you were partners outside the ring as well."

Both Guns blushed. Nothing like having their own joke thrown back into their faces.

"Who told you that?" Sabin demanded

"Oh come now, a guy's gotta have his secrets..." The rest of Tom's reply was drowned out by the loud hiss of rain. He continued to watch the crowds push their way inside, the last of whom were going to be really wet at the rate the lines were moving.

"Whatever." Alex walked away, his partner at his heels. Tom chuckled, watching them go, then followed. Jeff plus thunderstorms equals panic attack, and he wasn't sure if Ken could handle his younger brother under that set of circumstances.

Up ahead, he saw AJ Styles talking to Robert Roode and James Storm.

"I don't want any trouble, I just want to talk to him." Styles was saying. "You two take care of Anderson for me, okay."

Beer Money nodded.

_That's what you think. _Tom ducked out of sight and immediately looked for another route back to where Jeff and Ken were. The last thing anyone needed was for a panicked Jeff Hardy to be confronted by AJ, again. While not knowing exactly how far he would go to protect Jeff, Tom did know that if AJ came anywhere near his little brother, it would end up in badness.


	9. A Disaster Waiting to Happen

"Fuckin' ridiculous." Tom growled, attempting to push his way through the crowds. Stragglers were still being let in to the arena, and the last time he'd bothered to look outside, the parking lot was flooded up to the level of the steps leading in. "What the hell were they thinking; making this a safe haven is just plain stupid."

The wrestlers were being sequestered from the fans as much as possible, though it didn't help just then. Tom needed to find Jeff and Ken before Beer Money and AJ.

"You two with me; now!"

"Uh... it's a little crowded. I don't think you'll be able to find a room to give us those hand jobs." Even now, Alex couldn't resist joking around.

"If you two don't come with me, there will be nothing for me to give a hand job to." Tom glared

"Since you put it that way..."

"Jeff... where the hell are you?" Tom and his backup weaved their way through the people milling about. "Jeffrey Nero Hardy, come out come out wherever you are."

"How do you plan to find him in all this mess?" Chris asked

"I don't fucking know, but that doesn't let you off the hook. Keep looking."

...

"Why are we doing this?" Robert Roode asked his tag-team partner. "It's not like we owe Styles anything."

"Because if we don't, AJ will go crying to Ric who'll got crying to Eric and Hogan, who'll go to Dixie, who will talk to the bookers, and we'll end up at the bottom of the tag team ladder once again." James explained "Besides, what are you worrying about?"

"Other than that... where do you want me to start?"

"All we have to do is keep Ken occupied for a few minutes while AJ talks to Jeff. How difficult can that be?"

"Considering neither of us have any idea where Jeff or Ken is at the moment, and we also have a certain older brother who doesn't seem to like us much lurking around, I'd say quite a bit."

"Please. He doesn't have his backup anymore. There are two of us and one of him and I don't care who you are, I like those odds." James was full of bravado.

"It's your funeral." Robert mumbled "Let's go this way."

...

"Imma scared." Jeff curled up in Ken's arms.

"I know." Ken held him tight. "But we're inside. The lightning and the thunder can't hurt you in here." _Not entirely true... I hope Jeff doesn't point that out._

They weren't alone in the tiny little cubbyhole that service as a generator room in the arena. RVD had also been looking for some quiet so he could meditate in peace. He settled for this and was split legged across two wooden crates, lost in his Zen state. At least that's what the other two thought.

"Exactly why do you fear storms so much?" Still with his eyes closed, Rob spoke. "I thought you were over that. At least you seemed to be when we were together in WWE."

"It's not just the weather. It's the whole AJ/Fortune thing." Ken replied "They've even managed to traumatize poor Bunny."

Jeff nodded. Bunny hadn't been the same since her experience with Styles and friends.

"That's a shame." Rob cartwheeled off the crates and dropped down beside them.

"Rob, can I ask you something?" Jeff brushed some dirt off his leg.

"Whatever." Rob replied, not noticed Ken's eye roll.

"Why do you wear bicycle shorts under your tights? It looks real funny." Jeff giggled "Specially when they ride up your butt."

"The same reason you wear those dumb cargo pants and arm wraps." Rob chuckled

"But there's a picture on Wikipedia 'n it looks like you have a boner." Jeff giggled

"I'm gonna find your brother." Ken stated. Jeff's sex talk really didn't interest him all that much, unless he was physically involved. "Stay outta trouble and don't open the door for anyone."

Now it was Rob's turn to roll his eyes. "What kind of trouble does he expect us to get into? It's not like I have a major stash anywhere close. As for that picture, well, I was fighting Edge and he sorta rubbed me the wrong way, if you get my meaning."

Jeff giggled. Adam's frisky hands were the topic of many jokes.

"Yeah." Rob said "So..."

"This room reminds me of the fort me 'n Matty built back home." Jeff scooted over, barely brushing against Rob's arm.

"I'll bet you got into a lot of trouble back then." Rob replied, starting to loosed up.

"Not much. Matty caught me in a circle jerk with Shane and Shanny once... did you ever do anything like that?"

It took a second for Rob answer. "Wouldn't mean anything if I did."

"Of course not."

"It was more of a bonding thing, but when you're a teenager, sometimes it's nice to see what the other guys' have."

Jeff smiled, then flicked his eyes down to Rob's groin.

"What?" Rob swallowed loudly.

"Nothing... I mean if you're concerned about your size, it's not a big thing." Jeff answered

"No, it's not that..." Van Dam felt like he was sucking on cotton.

"Dude, you'll have your whole life to do it by yourself." Jeff reached between Rob's legs and started to caress the cloth covered bulge. "It's no big thing, right?"

Jeff pulled one arm of Rob's singlet down and reached inside. He groaned with every touch of Jeff's fingers.

"What about Ken?" He moaned, Jeff's hand pushing inside the bike shorts and gripping him. "Isn't he... I mean, aren't you and he..."

"Who says I can't have a little fun?" Jeff continued to stroke, hard quick jerks that promised an end to the encounter in a hurry.

Rob closed his eyes and let the good feelings override any guilt he might have. _I hope Ken doesn't have a problem with this._

_..._

"There he is." Roode whispered. They had started out looking for Ken, but had stumbled across Tom and the Guns instead.

"Yeah, but he ain't alone." Storm pointed to the entourage. "Maybe we should go back and look for Ken like AJ wants us to."

"Since when does Styles do our thinking for us? I mean, come on, the cameras are off. It's time to take some initiative."

"But we're outnumbered." Storm complained "Three on two might work in the ring, but this is definitely not gonna be by the book."

"Fine, I'll do it myself. Just stand back and try not to get in the way."

Only a few steps ahead, the MCMG and Tom were still searching for the disappearing Hardy brother, but they were not that focused that they couldn't tell they were being followed.

"You think we should tell them that they make lousy tails." Tom muttered "If you two think we're gonna lead you to Jeff, you gotta another thing coming." He shouted

Roode and Storm stopped mid-step.

"How did you...?"

"I'm not deaf." Tom barked

"I told you this was a stupid idea." Storm sulked

"Shut up." Roode barked, dragging James back the way they came.

"You want me 'n Chrissy to keep an eye on them." Alex offered

"Since when are you two the volunteering type?" Believing that the Gunz would do something out of the goodness of their hearts surprised Tom. Agreed, he didn't know much about their characters, other than they liked to prank the new guys, but it still didn't seem legit. Until he caught Alex staring at Chris' groin and Chris doing the same to Alex.

"I'm sure there are a couple guys who'd be more than willing to give it up to you..." Tom sighed

"Not really... we've had most of the locker room." Chris responded

_Why me? Why can't I find one straight guy in the entire wrestling community... first Cena, now these two... Jeff's got Kennedy, AJ wants him... _

...

"Uh, Jeff, seriously... what if Ken comes back?" RVD was trying to relax, and enjoy the massage his cock was getting from Jeff, but thoughts of what Ken might do to him kept ruining the mood.

"If you're that worried, shut up and cum already." Jeff quickened his pace.

Rob leaned back, letting his body take over, hoping to drive all thoughts of being murdered by an angry Wisconsinite out of his mind. Or, if not out, at least to one of the far corners that he could turn off easily. He closed his eyes, and let the good feelings override the bad.

...

"Should I be a little concerned about Jeff and Rob?" Ken knew exactly what Jeff was planning to do. It had been discussed that same night AJ had attempted to attack Jeff in the hotel.

"I dunno." Shannon answered "Jeff and I never talked much about that sorta thing. I'm the last of the dying breed around here..."

"You mean totally straight and devoted to your wife?" Ken asked, partially as a joke.

"You got it. This Prince of Punk don't play that way." Shannon stated "You should really talk to either Matt or Tom about it. They know more about Jeff's proclivities."

"I wish I could. I have to way to reach Matt and trying to find a single person in here is damn near impossible."

"You found me, dintcha?" Shannon smiled

"But I wasn't looking for you." Ken countered

"Last time I saw Tom, he was heading for the locker rooms. Other than that, you are on your own, sir."

"Great." Ken moaned. The locker rooms were on the exact opposite side of the arena. It could take him hours to find them, let alone the guy he was looking for.

"I'd help you look, but Jessie and I are gonna put in some extra ring time. It's a shame. The ring is just sitting there, and it looks kinda lonely. Later, man."

Shannon went one way, Ken the other, and never their paths crossed again.

...

"You don't need to follow us." James turned around to glare at their unofficial escorts. "We got the message."

Tom had used a momentary distraction to disappear into the bathroom. It was now just the four of them, if you didn't count all the refugees that now filled the arena. "Just making sure all those years of competitive beer drinking haven't fucked up what little synapses you boys still have." Alex laughed at his own joke.

"Hah, hah." Beer Money joined in the laughter, although in face only.

"Anyway, we're just protecting our interests." Chris crossed his arms. "We're tag champs and it's gonna stay that way, regardless of what clout you think Ric has with Dixie. And that, by extension, includes you two jokers."

"Whatever. Beer Money can get those belts back any time we want. We don't need Ric to fight our battles for us."

"Okay." Alex sneered "Keep thinking that and don't think of us as following you. Think of us as 'unwanted tagalongs'."

"Well, keep up then." Robert said, but before he could take one more step, the lights in the building went out completely. It was so dark, that the Gunz couldn't even see the two men they had just been talking to.

...

"Eek!" Jeff curled against Rob's tight frame. "Turn the lights back on, please!"

"How do you propose I do that?" Rob asked "I'm sitting here with my dick out."

"Oh yeah." Jeff said, curling his fingers back around RVD's throbbing length and resuming his stroking. "You like it better in the dark?"

"It's cool. Whatever." Rob arched his back, allowing Jeff's fingers to touch every inch of him.

"Mmm..." Jeff moaned "Maybe you c'n join me and Ken some night?"

"Ask me... later." Rob gasped "I can't think about much right now."

"Okies... I'll ask you after you come." Jeff giggled, then swallowed Rob's dick to the base. He bobbed his head rapidly.

"That won't be too long." Already Van Dam could feel his testicles drawing tight against his body. "I'm there."

Jeff sucked again until a familiar taste filled his mouth. He made sure he swallowed every drop, to Rob's delight, then slowly eased his mouth off of him.

"Like?" He giggled, nuzzling close. He was still a little afraid of the darkness, as well as the storm.

"Do you have to ask?" Rob tucked himself back into his spandex and calmed down. "If you weren't with Ken, even though you say it isn't official, I'd return the favor right now."

Jeff shrugged. "S'okay, Robbie. There's plenty of... aieeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

A huge crash of thunder caused him to jump. It sounded real close... a lot closer than usual, in fact.

"Dude, I don't think that was thunder." Rob shouted. There had been a lot of noise outside, not including the storm, but now things were eerily quiet.

"What was it?" Jeff asked

"Let me go look." Rob stood up. "I'll be right back." What really concerned him was the strange light under the door. It had been pitch black.

"Hurry, please."

Rob opened the door an inch, then another, then let it swing free.

"Oh my God..." He gasped

"What? What is it? Lemme see?" Jeff ran to his side and stuck his head out into what should've been a crowded corridor. The corridor was still there, but of everything else... including the multi-ton iMPACT zone, was gone. Absolutely, totally, gone. It was like a large knife had cut right though the building.

"What happened?" Rob wiped his eyes. It wasn't that he didn't believe them, it was more trying to make sense of it.

Jeff was thinking along other lines. While he was satifying his own urges, something (or someone) had come along and taken away everything and everyone around him. Including...

"Tommy!" He screamed


	10. Bucking the Storm

"What the hell just happened?" Rob couldn't believe his eyes. To say that everything was gone might have been pushing it, but something had carved a swatch right through the middle of the iMPACT zone!

"I dunno. Where's Tommy? And Ken? And everybody?" Jeff screamed

"I don't know." Rob tried to calm the upset Hardy. "But maybe we should try to find them?"

"But how?"

"We just have to start digging. I just wish I knew what had happened." Rob stepped out and stood upon a section of the floor that seemed study enough. What had happened was a very localized tornado had touched down and sucked up the middle portion of the building, including the ring and parts of the locker rooms. There were going to be casualties, but exactly how many was still indeterminate. "You coming?"

Jeff was mesmerized by what he saw, then his mind went someplace it shouldn't have and he ran off, not heeding Rob's warnings to be careful. The parts of the structure that were still standing didn't seem too sturdy in his opinion.

"Where are you going?" He shouted

"I gots to find her." Jeff called behind him.

"Her?" Rob thought, but rather than ask for clarification, he followed. _Heaven help me if I fall into a bottomless pit._

...

"What the fuck just hit us?" Alex Shelley groaned. One minute he was keeping an eye on Beer Money, the next he was in total darkness. "Sabin? Bro? You okay?"

The only sound was the echo of his voice bouncing around the small enclosure. "Tom... Hardy... can you hear me?" The bathrooms had been less than ten feet away from where He and Sabin had been standing when the shock hit, so he should've been able to hear Alex's cries for help. Should've being the key word, but once again there was only silence and blackness.

_Looks like I'm on my own._

Now that he knew that help wasn't going to appear out of nowhere, Alex began to explore his prison, hoping to find a way out. It was difficult since he couldn't even see his hands at arm's length.

...

"Where are you going?" Rob asked for the seventh or eighth time. "What exactly are you looking for? We should see if there's anyone else who needs our help back there instead of running all over the place."

As with every other time he'd asked, he'd received no reply from Jeff. It looked like the only way to get an answer was to physically confront him.

Rob sped up and, while still managing to avoid the obstacles in their path, was able to catch up enough to grab onto the young Hardy's shirt and pull him to a stop.

"Would you slow down for a minute, please?" He said into Jeff's ear. "Running around like this isn't going to help anyone. For all we know, Tommy and Ken were pinned under some of the crap you just jumped over."

"She might be hurt." Jeff whined "Why can't you see that?"

"For one thing, I don't even know who you're looking for. Who's this 'she' you keep referring to?"

The answer totally dumbfounded Rob.

"Bunny." Jeff stated like it was the most obvious thing in the whole wide world. "She was in my locker when it happened. I gotta make sure she's alright. She's too little to take care of herself."

"You mean we're chasing through this disaster area for your stupid rabbit." Rob grabbed Jeff by the upper arms and started to shake him, hoping that would shake some sense into the boy. "There are people, real people, who may need our help."

"You sayin' Bunny doesn't matter?" Jeff sniffled

"I'm saying that Bunny isn't real." Rob answered

"She is too!" Jeff argued, the tears beginning to form. "And if you're not going to help me look for her, then you can fuck off and forget about me sucking your dick ever again!" Jeff ran away, leaving a very confused Rob Van Dam perched on a pile of debris.

"Suit yourself." Rob turned back the way they'd come. If there were people trapped, starting at the edge of the debris seemed like a good idea.

...

A small green square of light suddenly illuminated the dark prison in which Alex was captive.

"That'll give me something to work with." Alex had found his cell phone and luckily it still worked. But seeing what little else he had to work with was scary. Dirt, rocks, concrete, it made a nice crypt, but there were little pinholes of light here and there which made Alex breathe a little easier. At least he wouldn't suffocate.

He crawled over to the one hole and started to work on enlarging the hole. It was tricky work. One wrong move and the whole pile might collapse in on him. He dared removed no more than a handful at a time, all the while calling out for Chris, or someone else to help him. But he never got a reply. For all Alex knew, he was the only person left alive and that thought scared him.

...

"C'mon, pick up the damn phone!" Matt shouted "The moment he'd seen the weather channel update, he'd anxiously tried calling either of his two brothers, with the same results both times. Rings, then voice-mail in Jeff's case, Tom's was just dead air.

"I gotta get to Florida. Something's happened..."

"...and these are live shots from Orlando. This is where Universal Studios used to be. As you can see from these pictures, the entire park has been decimated. We have been informed that casualties could be in the hundreds or thousands especially since we are told that the building used by TNA wrestling for it's weekly tapings, which had been set up as a sanctuary, has suffered heavy damage. We will be taking you live as soon as we can for an update, but for now that's all we have..."

That was all Matt needed to hear. He had to get down to Florida. But how, that was another story.

...

Ken always had a way of seeing the bright side of things, but even he was stretched in this case. The only thing he could come up with was something along the line of "I wonder how this will affect my new contract?"

Like Alex, there was no one around to hear him, but Ken was in a slightly better predicament. He was only half buried under falling I-beams and rubble. It was just a matter of digging his lower half out.

"This is not good." He looked up. The roof was gone in his part of the mess so he could look up at the sky. By looking at it, you'd never know that one of the worst storms in recent times had just passed through. Hot, Sunny, and not a cloud anywhere to be seen. Ken wriggled to get a better seating and felt a searing pain shoot through his left leg. It felt like his ankle was wedged between two pieces of building material and most likely broken.

"Okay, Anderson, don't move that part of your body." A command Ken knew he'd never be able to follow. "Just dig and hope that the rest of this pile doesn't come down on top of you."

...

Jeff didn't care that Rob was no longer following right behind. He didn't care that co-workers, or maybe even close friends were probably dead or serious injured under the piles of rubble that he was dodging in his haste to find the locker rooms. He had a little girl that needed his help.

_Don't worry, I'm coming Bunny. Please be okay oh please oh please oh please oh please..._

He got there and the door to the locker rooms were gone, probably blown off by the wind, but otherwise the room was in decent shape. The same couldn't be said for the two bodies that were slammed against a bank of lockers on the far wall. One man, one woman, and their faces were smeared with enough blood and gore that Jeff couldn't recognize them immediately, not that he'd bother to stay around to find out.

"Where was my locker...?" Jeff looked around, but it all seemed the same. He wasn't positive which locker he'd used, but he had a pretty good idea.

"H-h-help me..." Jeff heard a faint groan coming from the inner part, near where the showers used to be.

"Is a-a-anyone there?" Jeff hoped his ears had been playing tricks on him. He waited a minute and sighed. The cry hadn't been repeated and Jeff was about to move on when...

"Someone help me..." The groan was louder.

_Maybe if I ignore it, it'll go away._

Jeff stood completely still, really hoping that it was his over-sensitive imagination, added to his fear, that was making his ears hear things.

_Nobody's there... just a voice... see, there's no one there..._

"Somebody help me!" It was now a scream. Jeff wanted to run away, but his feet wouldn't listen. They seemed to have their own mind and that was telling them to walk in the direction of the screams.

_No! Bad feet! Don't go that way! I don't wanna!_

Feet did not listen. Jeff stepped into the ruined shower area. "Is someone there?" He repeated his earlier question. He couldn't see much outside a few ruined pipes and puddles of water, but he thought he saw something in the back corner, pinned under the twisted wreckage.

"Help..." The voice sounded much weaker, but as his eyes got accustomed to the darkness Jeff was able to make out who it was. It was Max Buck.

Seeing that it was one of the few people in the company that couldn't kick his ass in a straight-up fight, Jeff was more likely to help.

"I'm coming." Jeff wished Rob was still with him, or anyone else for that matter. The heavy steel pipes seemed more than he could manage. He stepped over as much as he could, being careful not to fall and hurt himself. That wouldn't do anyone any good.

"Jeff, is that you?"

"Yeah." Looking at Max, Jeff always got these strange feelings. It was like looking at a younger (and yes, skinnier) version of Matt. "Are you hurt?"

"Not too badly." Max answered "My right arm is pinned, but..."

"Don't worry, Imma here." Jeff pulled some of the smaller pieces of machinery away, and then surveyed what needed to be done. "Can you move your arm at all?"

Max strained, then shook his head. "Not without ripping it out of my socket." He sighed "Can you lift it?"

Jeff strained and pushed, but he was unable to move it more than an inch or two in any direction, and certainly not enough to get it off the ground to free Max's arm. He had to stand back and think about what he could do.

"If we roll it off..."

"Dude, you'll crush my hand." Max pleaded "Is there any other way."

"Imma thinking. Don't rush me."

"I'm not, but I'm losing feeling." Max stated

"Is there anyone alive in there?" Wonder of wonders, another voice.

"We've got a man trapped back here. We need help!" Jeff shouted as loud as he could.

"I'm coming... damn, crap..." Max and Jeff heard several bangs and thumps as whoever it was slowly made their way toward them. "Stupid benches." It sounded like one of them got tossed aside.

"Where is everyone?"

"Right here. We could use a little help. Max's arm is pinned and I can't lift it." Jeff said

"Let's what we can do." There were two people Jeff could think of that would be perfect in this situation. One was Rhyno and the other was standing right in front of them in all his seven foot glory. He didn't look all that sexy, but both he and Max were happy to see Kevin Nash anyway.

He squatted to look at exactly what he had to work with.

"Jeff, run back into the main area and see if you can find something to pry with... a two by four or a long pipe... all the ones I see around here are too short."

"Okies." Jeff ran back.

"What are you gonna do?" Max asked "If this thing rolls, I'm gonna lose my hand."

"What we're hoping to do is find something we can use to lever this thing up enough for you to slide your hand out. It's even too much dead weight for me to lift." Kevin looked around for something to use as a brace.

"Will this do?" Jeff ran back in.

Kevin took the piece of metal and stuck it between the pipe and the floor. "Perfect, Hardy. Now just help me find something to lever it against and we'll be good to go."

"Righto. We'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." Jeff waved bye-bye.

"Like I could." Max didn't find Jeff's joke all that funny.

"How did you get here so fast?" Jeff asked

"I was in a meeting when the storm hit." Kevin answered "I was the only one who got out before the whole room caved in. Bischoff's dead, Hogan's dead, and ten bucks says the entire booking department is gone too. I am so fuckin' lucky..." Kevin's voice trailed off. "so fuckin' lucky."

"But we're gonna make it, right?" Jeff didn't like the way Kevin's voice had softened. "If we survived, there must be others, right? RIGHT?"

"Right." Kevin agreed, finding exactly what he was looking for. "Now let's free the Young Buck and then we can decide what our next move is gonna be."

"Find as many people as we can?" Jeff asked hopefully.

"And hope the rest of the building doesn't collapse." Kevin nodded. "That sounds like a plan to me. Let's go!"

Their lever in hand, Kevin and Jeff returned to free Max and then see if there was anything left of Total Nonstop Action worth salvaging. Based on what they'd all seen, the answer was probably no.


	11. Friends and Enemies

Alex Shelley was making progress, but it was slow and unsteady. He'd enlarged several holes for air, but that was about it. Every time he'd get one a few inches across, he'd run into some rebar or a block of concrete that he couldn't move or dig around. It was getting more frustrating by the moment. It still nagged at the back of his mind that he hadn't heard another human voice in over two hours.

"Is there anybody out there? Please, I'm trapped and I can't get out!" His voiced strained, almost hoarse. "Chris... somebody... anybody!"

There was no reply. The only noise he heard was dripping water from a busted pipe somewhere. Alex lay back and covered his eyes with his arm, willing the tears that so desperately wanted to flow not to. He had never felt this alone in his life.

...

Max's wrestling career was over. Big Sexy and the Enigma freed his hand, but it was obvious that every bone in it was broken and the hand itself had been compressed to a thickness of less than half normal. It looked cartoonish, like Wile E. Coyote had got it caught in a bear trap, but it was not a pretty sight at all.

"Have you seen anyone else?" Max asked

"Not a soul." Jeff replied "How about you?"

"I was just getting ready to grab a quick shower before going on." Max replied "Where's Nickie? Where's my brother?"

"Easy, kid. We just told you that we haven't seen anyone else." Kevin answered "Jeff, give me your shirt. I wanna wrap his hand up."

"Just relax." Jeff took off the garment. "Won't it get infected? There's a lotta shit on that."

The look Kevin gave Jeff said that infection was the least of Max's worries at the moment.

"This may hurt a little." Kevin tore Jeff's shirt into strips and started wrapped the badly damaged limb.

"What were you supposed to be doing tonight?" Jeff asked Max, taking his mind hopefully away from the pain.

"I had a singles match against Chris Sabin." Max answered, wincing every time the wrap was tightened. "Continuing the feud and all that." He stuck his good hand in his mouth and bit down to stifle a loud moan.

"Just breathe. Kev's almost done." Jeff held his hand.

"One more piece oughtta do it... there we go. Good as almost new." That was a total lie, but at least Max didn't have to spend the rest of their time looking at it.

"Then let's get the hell outta here." Max stood, with a little assistance from both Jeff and Kevin. "We gotta find Nickie."

"Where was he last time ya saw him?" Jeff asked

"He was going to catering." Max answered "We are gonna find him, right?"

"Of course we are." Kevin answered "It might take some time, but we'll give it our best."

...

Just as Ken had predicted, his command to not move his ankle had gone unheeded by his body. He'd make good progress for ten minutes, but then have to stop and rest for twenty because he'd turn his leg even an inch and the pain from his ankle would shoot right through him, leaving him on the brink of passing out.

_There's got to be an easier way to do this._

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Looks like the rat got caught in his own little trap."

"AJ Styles. Of all the people in this company not to get flattened by a falling block of concrete, it would have to be you." Ken would've been willing to gnaw his own leg off to get away from Styles.

"Only just. We were all in Flair's locker room. As far as I know, Flair is still trapped. I'm trying to find out if anyone else survived..." Who this 'we' was, Ken could've cared less, particularly because of who it was talking.

"Well, now you know." Ken responded "So you can go back and tell him that Mr. Anderson is still alive and as soon as I free myself, you're all in for it."

"Maybe I won't offer to help you, then." AJ stepped on the pile. "Maybe I'll leave you to free yourself and find someone who won't be such an asshole. You seem to be well on your way."

Ken sneered. "Just like you, Styles. Self-aggrandizing as always." He tugged and grunted in pain. "Fuck."

"If I help you, will you help me?" Styles squatted down beside Ken, looking one hundred percent serious in the request.

"Do what exactly?" Ken asked. Better not to mention that his ankle was shattered until he knew a bit more about Styles' motive.

"You have people who need help rescuing and so do I."

A thought of Jeff flashed through Ken's mind. Would he ever see his little man alive again?

Was working with a man he truly despised worth it?

"Deal." Ken sighed "Now get this fucking thing off me."

"I knew you'd see it my way."

...

"Air traffic is completely shut down over Orlando and the Tampa Bay area. We have not been given clearance to resume operations... of any sort, commercial or private."

Matt had been on the phone, trying to arrange some sort of transportation arrangements to get into Orlando, but that was proving to be impossible. Nothing was flying in or out of the affected zones.

"How about Miami?" Matt demanded, losing what little patience he had. "Or Jacksonville or Daytona Beach, for that matter."

"Hold for one moment and I'll see what we have available."

Matt sighed. Still not being able to reach either of his brothers and having no other information than what the television told him was pushing him to the breaking point.

"Are you still there, Mr. Hardy?"

"Where else would I be?"

"The Miami airport was damaged, but a limited number of flights are getting in. That might be your best bet."

"Thank-you. One last question... would it be easier to find a commercial flight or a private charter?"

"Right now, a private plane would have a better chance of getting clearance."

"Thanks again." Matt replied

"My pleas..."

Matt shut the phone off in mid-word. Now all he needed to do was find a charter flight, or better yet, a private jet to take him down to Miami. That would at least get him within a couple hundred miles of where he needed to be.

"Any luck?"

Matt looked up. He was surrounded by the Smackdown roster, most of whom seemed eager to help.

"Miami's open." He replied "After that, I gotta drive."

"Why are you just standing there... get your ass in gear!" Mark growled

"Any one know a number for a private charter service?" Matt asked hopefully.

A lot of head shaking, and Matt's shoulders fell.

"Why don't you talk to Stephanie? Maybe she can give you loan of the corporate jet? Assuming she's still in the building..."

Matt took off, running. "Stephanie!" He shouted "Stephanie!"

...

After splitting from Jeff, Rob had finally returned to where he and Jeff had stepped out of their little love-nest. There wasn't a whole lot of debris nearby. The tornado had cut through this part of the arena with almost surgical precision, depositing most of it further away.

"Is there anyone who can hear me?" Rob shouted, then stopped to listen for a reply. He waited five minutes, then when he heard nothing, walked further and repeated the process. Occasionally, he thought he heard something, but could never really pinpoint it. He plodded onward, getting more discouraged with the passing minutes, and always feeling that maybe he and Jeff were the only two survivors.

He wasn't. Alex had heard him during a break. His arms were absolutely throbbing and he was running out of movable debris. He'd dig for five minutes, sometimes less, then have to rest.

"Is there someone out there?" Alex shouted back, hoping that his ears hadn't been playing tricks on him. "Please... I'm trapped."

Alex waited for a reply. When he thought that he had been hearing things, he was startled out of his skin.

"Is there someone in there?" Rob stuck his head right by the opening. "Alex, is that you?"

"Robbie! Thank God!" Alex wept tears of joy. "Can you get me outta here? I've been digging for hours and my arms are so sore."

"Gimme a minute." Rob stepped back and surveyed the pile. "I think so. Are you caught on anything under there?"

Alex moved his arms and legs. Nothing seemed to be snagged. "I don't think so." He replied

"Good. I think I can move most of this real easily, but I may need you to push from the bottom when I say. Just rest until then." Rob began to throw bricks and small chunks of concrete aside, working speedily to free Alex before anything else happened.

Several hundred feet away, AJ had almost freed Ken, when he discovered Ken's little secret.

"Looks busted to me." He said

"That's what I thought." Ken responded

"Just how do you propose to help me? Or were you?" Styles yelled "Never mind, let's see if I can find something to prop you up with. Wait here."

"Where the hell else would I go?" Ken asked

AJ wandered deeper into the disaster zone, looking for something to use as a support, but not really caring if he found one. His whole point was to get back to where Flair was, and hopefully find him alive. Beer Money was still missing in action.

...

"What exactly are you looking for?" Max asked. No sooner had he, Jeff, and Big Sexy exited the ruined shower area, then Jeff had started tearing into the lockers that were still standing.

"Imma hafta rescue her." Jeff mumbled

"Who? These two are goners." Kevin took a quick look at the two bodies sprawled out. "Hopefully it was quick, 'coz it sure doesn't look like it was painless."

"Open, you stupid thing." Jeff tugged at the door to the locker he'd used earlier that evening. Even without a lock, the door still refused to yield. "C'mon motherfucker, move!" He tugged violently. When the door suddenly snapped open, Jeff flew across the room, landing almost on top of the two bodies. He screamed, and jumped into Nash's arms.

"Easy." Kev set him down gently. "Haven't you ever seen a dead body before?"

"Of course." Jeff answered, quickly turning away.

"Could you please tell me why we're still standing around and not anyplace else but here? Maybe, y'know, looking for people." Max demanded

"'Cause I hasta find her." Jeff ran back to where he was and started digging through stuff.

Max looked at Kevin, as if to ask him to talk some sense into Jeffro. Kevin just shrugged.

"Ya know. If you told us what you were looking for, we could maybe help you."

"Fine." Jeff told them.

"You're kidding, right?" His facial expression could not accurately convey what Kevin was thinking. "Instead of looking for survivors of this catastrophe, we're hunting for a stuffed rabbit?"

"If you don't wanna help, fine. Imma find her myself." Jeff huffed "Even if it takes me all day."

...

Matt was in for two surprises, one coming right on top of each other. The first was that Stephanie was in a giving mood and the not only had she basically handed over the McMahon jet to Matt. The second one Matt discovered when he arrived at the hangar. Several members of the Smackdown and Raw Rosters, including Big Show, Undertaker, and John Cena were already aboard.

"What are you..."

"You think you're gonna be able to dig through that mess by yourself, assuming you can even get in?" Mark's deep voice boomed. "WWE demolitions is at your service."

Show cracked his knuckles, looking ready for business.

"We were just waiting for you and the pilot and we're off."

"Does Stephanie know?" Matt asked

"I'm sure she'll figure it out. Now sit down and let's rock!" Cena replied

Matt strapped himself in beside John, the words to express his gratitude stuck in his throat.

"If two of my brothers were missing like that, I'd hope for a little help from my friends." John said "And it's not just 'cause I gotta thing for Tom, either."

Matt looked over, relief in his eyes. "Thanks." He mouthed while the plane prepared for takeoff.

...

"Ready, A-Shell?" Rob had cleared most of the debris. All that remained was one slab of concrete, balanced precariously on four individual smaller chunks.

"As ready as I'm gonna be." Alex answered

"We're gonna be pushing it towards your feet, so get as much of your body this end." Rob stuck his fingers under the leading edge. His fingers briefly contacted Alex's. "On three."

Alex took a deep breath, scrunched as he was.

"One... two... three... push!"

They both pushed. The slab moved a couple inches.

"Again." Rob heaved mightily, and the slab moved another inch or two.

"One more should do it." Rob regripped the material as best he could. "Ready."

"Let's do this. One... two... three."

They heaved as hard as possible, the cords in their necks standing out. The slab moved six more inches, then two of the smaller chunks that were supporting the ends furthest away gave in. The entire slab dropped eight inches vertically.

"Oh fuck!" Rob screamed. "Alex! Alex!"


	12. Get Me The Hell Outta Here!

"Alex! Are you all right? Alex?" Rob dropped on all fours and peered into what was left of Alex's crawl space. "Speak to me! Alex!"

He heard nothing.

"Dammit!" Rob shouted "Alex, I know you can hear me. Don't worry, buddy, I'll get you outta there." How he was going to do that was unknown, but nothing was going to be accomplished by just standing around. Rob scrambled into the depression, trying to get a fresh grip. All he succeeded in doing was tearing the hell out of his hands, but he kept trying. Alex's life depended on it.

...

Ten feet off to one side there was another larger pile of debris. Underneath several tons of stuff, in his own little hidey-hole, lay Tom. His situation was similar to Alex's, only ten times worse. He was unable to dig, as one of his hands was stuck in the mangled remains of the toilet he'd been sitting on when the twister touched down. The only thing he'd been able to do was pull up his pants. Like wearing clean underwear in an accident, being rescued while maintaining some decency was priority.

"Fuck. This is not good. Not good at all." He looked up and wondered just how long until everything came crashing down on him. He could hear the sound of someone shouting, but it was too faint to know if it was real or just in his mind.

Tom tried to free his hand, but was unable to. The sharp edges of the porcelain were pressed against his wrist and every time he moved it, even an inch or two, he could imagine his skin being sliced and the blood flowing down his arm.

"Not like this!" Tom grunted, forcing the graphic images from his mind. "You have too much to live for. You're a Hardy and Hardys will not die!" Thoughts of what he'd be leaving behind were also pushed to one side and Tom started fighting for his freedom using what little tools he had.

...

Every time an update on the situation in Florida came on the screen, Matt tightened his grip on the arm rests. The situation seemed to be getting worse by the minute, and there being nothing he could do about it only made it worse.

"Chill." Cena said "We'll get there when we get there. We don't even know if they will let us in. We may have to stand by and watch."

"Oh, they'll let us in." Matt replied through his teeth. "That's a fuckin' given."

"Fine, but you still gotta chill." Cena leaned back and closed his eyes. "You're stressing me out and I don't like it."

Matt turned his head a few inches in anticipation of snapping back at John. He stopped when he saw that he was having some effect on his coworker. Cena seemed to be as much, if not more, tense than he was and he wasn't the one who might be facing burying two brothers in the next week.

"I know." He whispered, leaning back against the head rest. "I wish we could just get there already."

John nodded. He was about to reply when Matt's cell phone beeped.

"You might wanna check that." John said when Matt didn't respond right away.

"Huh? Check what?"

"Your phone made a noise. You got a message or a low battery or some shit like that." Obviously Matt hadn't heard it.

"You sure, man?"

"Positive... there it is again!" John pointed to Matt's right pocket, which seemed to be buzzing.

"Hello?" One look from Matt and John excused himself. "Yes, Stephanie..."

"Matt, are you sure about this? I mean, we did accommodate you with the whole GM thing." Stephanie was looking at a sheet of paper on her desk.

"Yes, I am." Matt replied "Especially now with everything that's happening in Florida. I need to be there, not being a voice box for Creative nor jobbing for Cody Rhodes."

"Okay. We'll send the official release as soon as legal types it up." Stephanie hung up the phone without another word. Matt leaned back in his chair, and exhaled. One less thing to worry about.

"Everything cool?" John returned several minutes later. "I figured you needed some privacy."

"Yeah. I sent something to Stephanie and she just called to let me know she got it." Matt explained, not going into real great detail. John would find out soon enough, as would the rest of the WWE universe.

...

AJ was not by any definition as evil as his current heel character, but knowing that Ken would be in no shape to put up a chase if he decided to split and go after Jeff on his own did cross his mind. But that thought, and several other devious ideas, were pushed to the back when he realized that it wasn't about individuals right now. It was about survival and, if anyone was going to make it out of the disaster area that was once the below ground portion of the iMPACT! Zone, unity was a priority.

He tried not to look too long in one particular spot, just in case he found a corpse, and even worse a corpse of someone he once knew. He needed something for Ken to use as a crutch, or better still something to brace his shattered ankle with.

"There's gotta be something usable in this mess." AJ was getting closer to the 'fuck it' point. "Five minutes, them I'm goin' back to find Ric. Ken'll have to fend for himself."

Just as he was about to give up, he saw a tangled mess of pipes, remnants of the arena's plumbing system. In the middle of it was a long piece, capped off with a shorter piece, making an almost perfect letter T.

"It's better than nothing." AJ sighed loudly. "Anderson, you better not be dead by the time I get back there..."

...

Alex was in a very tight space, even tighter than before. The concrete slap was pushing down on him, making full breaths impossible, but he was alive for the present. How much long, he didn't want to think about that.

"Rob!" He shouted "Can you hear me?"

For Rob, those words were music to his ears. "Yeah, I am." Silent words of a prayer crossed his lips. "Can you move at all?"

Alex squirmed. "A couple inches, that's all." He shouted "You gotta get me outta here. I can barely breathe."

"Don't worry. I'll figure something out." Prying the slab was now out of the question, but the clock was ticking.

"Hurry Robbie..."

"Chisel, chisel, chisel..." He said "Gotta find something. Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back."

"Where would I go?" Alex asked. Under normal circumstances, Rob's choice of words wouldn't mean much. Not right now.

"Chisel..." Rob continued to look around. "I wonder... yes!" He had found something that might work.

...

"Land, already!" Matt shouted "Dammit!"

The WWE jet had been locked in a holding pattern for the past twenty-five minutes. The airport being open, it seemed like everyone was trying to get in.

"They'll land us as soon as possible." John leaned over. "The air traffic controllers are doing the best they can. You've gotta understand what they're going through right now."

Matt exhaled. John's words were not helping.

"This is your captain speaking... we apologize for the delay, but I have been informed that we are next to land, so please prepare yourself for descent. Make sure your seat belts are fastened and all luggage is secured."

"Finally, some good news. Matt's expression changed. He seemed a little less stressed, but John sensed that until Jeff and Tom were returned to him safely, Matt would still be tense about the situation. He secured his belt and waited.

...

"Ow!" Tom gritted his teeth. He had tried to figure out exactly how bad his own situation was, but even that hadn't worked out. Turning on his cigarette lighter had worked, until he set a loose piece of his shirt on fire. He beat out the flames before becoming totally char-broiled, but it still wasn't too pleasant. "That was fun!"

He leaned back, in as comfortable a position as he could, and attempted to figure out another plan. He reached into his pocket. Maybe if he could free his Swiss Army Knife, he could use one of the many gadgets on it to get his other hand free. Having two hands seemed essential. What he didn't know was his other hand was actually out in the open and if he could actually move it, someone coming along at the right time might see it.

Tom started emptying his pocket. Money clip, keys, cell phone, but no knife.

"Shit! Where the hell is it?" Tom reached across his body and felt his other pockets. "Crap, I left it in the console of the rental car. The one time I don't take it with me... stupid stupid stupid... cell phone?"

Tom flipped it open. The incoming call was flashing. "Now who could be calling me... hello?"

"H-hello? Who is this?"

"Tom Hardy... are you sure you have the right number?"

"I dunno. I found a cell phone and I just been dialing the names I recognize in the memory."

Someone had found Jeff's cell.

"Oh... I'd still like to know who this is." Tom replied

"It's Steve."

"Steve."

"Y'know, Steve... Borden... Sting?"

"Oh, that Steve." Tom answered "How did you get my brother's cell phone?"

"Must've fallen. Where are you at?"

"If I knew that, I'd tell you. I was in one of the bathrooms and now I'm buried under a pile of crap with my hand stuck in the toilet." Tom answered

Accidentally, Steve laughed. "Sorry." He quickly apologized.

"Under most circumstances, that would be funny." Tom stated "Where are you?"

"I'm just outside what used to be catering. I've been trying to coordinate a rescue operation." Sting answered "Jeff has most of the roster in his memory, so..."

"Any luck... or should I be asking?"

"Not much. You're only the second person I've been able to reach... which bathrooms?"

"Dunno." Tom answered

"No problem. Were you in the locker room?"

"No."

"That makes it easy. There are only two other bathrooms on the lower level." Steve answered "We'll split up and find you."

"Split up? How many people you got?"

"Four. There's me, Jeremy Buck, Dinero, and Taz." Sting answered "Sit tight. I'll call you back as soon as we figure out where you are."

Tom relaxed. It seemed that rescue was nearby.

...

"Five minutes, then I am going to take Max to get some legit medical help." Kevin said "We can't stand here, waiting for you to find a bunny when we don't even know how much longer this building is gonna stand."

"Psh." Jeff snorted "Go, then. I don't need you."

"Five minutes, then we will." Kevin repeated "Where haven't you looked?"

"That way." Jeff pointed at the far side. He'd purposely avoided going near the two bodies. "But my locker was on this side."

"That don't mean nothing." Kevin shrugged "Stuff could've gone flying." He didn't add that Jeff's rabbit could be on the other side of the disaster zone, or even been swept away by the wind. That would only cause another argument. "You gonna be okay for five, Maxi?"

"I guess." Max said "It's not like I'm bleeding out or anything, but I'm at fifty percent right now."

"Take a seat somewhere. Four minutes, Jeff." Kevin announced

Jeff stuck his tongue out. Kevin shook his head, but still headed for the area Jeff was too grossed out to search.

"What does this thing look like?" He asked

"Bunny is not a thing!" Jeff turned, hands on hips, to glare at Kevin. "She's a Bunny!"

"Sorry, sorry.. what does this Bunny look like?" Kevin apologized.

Jeff described her.

"Oh." Kevin answered "White and pink, with a little ribbon around her neck, you say."

"Yeah." Jeff continued throwing debris around, not the most methodical way to find something and only have three-plus minutes to do it.

"Something like this?" Kevin held up a small object.

"This is no time for... Bunny?"

Jeff ran to Kevin, almost wiping out on the piles of rubbish several times.

"Bunny!" Jeff brushed the dust from her fur and hugged her tightly. "I'm so happy we found you. I thought you were gone forever..."

"Can we go now?" Kevin asked "I've done my good deed for the day."

"Okies." Jeff tucked the rabbit into his shirt. "Let's go!"

"Don't go too fast. We gotta stay together." Kevin was interrupted by his phone. Sting had made it as far as 'N'.

"Hey Stinger..." Kevin said "Yeah, we're okay, more or less. I got Jeff Hardy and Max Buck with me."

Kevin nodded while Sting spoke. "Okay, I'll tell them and we'll try to meet you there." He shut his phone off.

"Good news?" Max asked

"I'd say. As of now, both of your brothers are still alive. Sting's got Jeremy with him and he just talked to Tom. They're on their way to rescue him."

"What are we waiting for?" Jeff and Max shouted at the same time.

"Calm down." Kevin cautioned "We gotta take this slow and I'm not as young as you two."

Jeff and Max nodded, then ran off anyway.

"Kids." Kevin shook his head. "Wait up!"

...


End file.
